25 Weddings and a Wedding
by mspink93
Summary: Sonny bets Chad that he can't make up a different wedding for each letter of the alphabet. Chad bets Sonny that he can. The only question is...who will win? -Sequel to Maybe Guest Starring Isn't Always a Good Thing/An A-Z story-
1. The Bet

**Hello you beautiful people!**

**I am pleased to present the first chapter of my new story, and the sequal to MGSAAGT!! Like I have said numerous times before, this one is less drama filled and more zany and crazy. But nonetheless, I hope that you guys will enjoy it! And yes, it is one of those A-Z stories, but a little different than all of the others. Mainly because these are not dates, but weddings. Oh well...enjoy! And please review!!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

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Chapter 1

_The Bet_

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The midday sun beat down on my bare shoulders, making my whole body tingle with the heat. A slight breeze blew across me, ruffling my chocolate curls and making my full, white skirt ripple to the side. I self-consciously brought a hand up to my hair and patted it down, trying to get every wayward strand back in place. My left hand tightened around the bouquet of flowers that I held, the sweet smell of the roses and daisies mixing together as it met with my nose, causing a goofy smile to spread across my face.

To my right I could see the faces of my mother, Lucy, Marshall and the rest of the So Random! cast beaming up at me. Mom dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, trying desperately to keep her tears at bay, but failing. I wrapped my fingers firmer around the crook of my father's elbow and blew a kiss to my mother as I walked past her, down the white aisle towards my future.

Chad Dylan Cooper.

He stood tall and proud next to the priest, his hands folded in front of him. He was clad in a black suit and a white shirt, the way his sun-kissed blonde hair lay across his forehead accentuating his ocean blue eyes. As he saw me approaching him, he started to smile. He nudged the priest and whispered something to him, something that I couldn't hear.

Tawni – my maid of honour – was standing on the other side of Chad, and her mouth opened slightly. She slapped his arm with her hand and started to giggle. She then shot me a look which clearly said, _He's so in love with you._

I blushed and looked down at my silk heels, keeping in time to the steady pace of the Bridal March. I couldn't believe that this was happening; after everything that Chad and I had been through, we were finally getting married.

I finally arrived at the altar, and Dad took my hand from his elbow and kissed it lightly before placing it in Chad's. I blinked away my tears and pressed my lips against my father's cheek, smiling shakily when he placed his hand against my own, looking at me tenderly. He turned and took his place beside my mother, and the priest cleared this throat.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two young souls, Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe. If anyone wishes to object to this union of holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

The audience was quiet, save for my mother sniffling. She blew her nose loudly into the handkerchief and my father placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. A sudden gust of wind blew, sending up freshly mown grass blades and flower petals, swirling around us like a tornado.

I let out a joyful giggle, and Chad grasped my hands in his, looking at me lovingly.

"Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked, peering at me over his little reading glasses.

"I do," I choked out, letting the tears fall freely down my face.

The priest turned to the man standing across from me. "And do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Chad opened his mouth, but instead of echoing the two words that I had said, he started to...sing?

"_Well can you feel this magic in the air? It must've been the way you kissed me," _his voice was decidedly feminine, and his eyes widened with each word, the song just pouring out of his mouth. "_Fell in love when I saw you standing there, it must've been the way, today was a fairytale."_

Everything suddenly disappeared and the next thing I knew I was in my bedroom, tangled up in my purple comforter and hugging a fluffy pillow against my chest. I blinked my eyes twice, trying to get used to the flood of light that bombarded me from the direction of the windows. I slapped at my alarm clock, which was playing the newest Taylor Swift song, trying to locate and press the SNOOZE button at the same time.

I froze when I realized what was going on. Of course it had just been a dream. That wedding was far too perfect to have been real. And my father had been there...the same father who had walked out on our family all of those years ago.

"Ugh," I groaned, rolling over. I dug the heels of my hands into my eyes and pushed down until I saw the floating red dots dancing in front of me. "What time is it?"

My bedroom door opened and shut, and I pulled my hands away from my face to see who was there. I was greeted with the smiling face of my mother, whose black hair was hanging down so low that the ends were tickling my cheeks.

"Happy birthday, sleepy!" she said cheerfully, tweaking the tip of my nose with her index finger. Her eyes widened in alarm when she took a closer look at my face and she swiftly sat on the edge of my bed, bringing one hand to rest gently on my shoulder. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

I raised an eyebrow, looking at her in confusion. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

She grazed my cheek with one of her fingertips, bringing it close enough to my eyes for me to see the droplet of water that clung to her skin. "You're crying. What happened?"

I scrubbed at my cheeks, eliminating any trace of saltwater that was left. "Nothing," I replied, sitting up and gathering my sheets around me. "I was just...having a dream, that's all."

My mother nodded understandingly and got up, drawing her robe closed around her. "Well, birthday girl, get up and at 'em, because you have got quite a busy day today," she said, tying the strings on her terry bathrobe into a big, floppy bow. "Meet me in the kitchen in a few minutes, alright Sonny?"

I stood up and stretched, letting out a huge yawn. "Okay Mom." I slipped my feet into my fuzzy cow slippers and stumbled over to the bathroom, flicking on the light with my right hand and kicking open the door. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my hair, getting out all of the tangles and snarls that had happened while I had slept. I gathered my hair back and tied it in a ponytail, checking for any bumps in the mirror before making my way to the kitchen.

I could already smell the delicious aroma of chocolate chip pancakes – my favourite – as I walked down the hall, scratching my stomach. Before my mother had even mentioned it, I had completely forgotten that today was my twentieth birthday, the big one oh. But she was right. As of today I was no longer a teenager. I was twenty. Just thinking it made me feel old.

"Sonny, you coming?" my mother's voice rang out, coming from behind the closed kitchen door.

"Yeah, I'm here, I'm here," I said, swinging open the door and entering the room. What I saw made my heart stop, and my mother gleefully clapped her hands when she saw my expression. She must have been in on this whole thing...she must have _planned_ it!

"Chad? What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously, crossing my arms over my chest. I had fallen asleep in an extremely low cut tank top, and had I known that Chad would be stopping by this early I would have changed. I looked down at the short shorts that I was wearing and shot my mom a look. She shrugged innocently and opened her palms upwards to the ceiling, the grin still on her face.

My boyfriend/fiancé uncrossed his arms and pushed away from the counter that he had been leaning on. "Good morning to you too, Sonny," he said, coming in for a hug. I let him encase me in his arms and sagged against his body, welcoming the contact. The gesture made me remember my dream and I blushed. Chad kissed my forehead. "Happy birthday, Sonny."

I turned my head up and kissed his lips. "Thanks," I whispered once I had pulled away.

My mother cleared her throat and we both turned to look at her simultaneously. Once she noticed that she had our attention, she held up a heaping plate of pancakes and gave us a sheepish smile. "Pancakes?"

**--*--**

"Okay Mom, those were the best pancakes that you have ever made," I said, wiping my mouth with my napkin and leaning back in my chair. "Thank you so much! My birthday is already off to a good start."

My mother hung the kitchen towel back on the stove handle and tied her hair back in an impromptu bun. "Actually, sweetie, Chad made them."

My mouth dropped open. "You cook?"

Chad smirked and mirrored my position, resting his head against the back of his chair. "I'm a man of many talents," he said, straightening the cutlery on his messy plate. His cell phone suddenly went off and he exchanged a suspicious look with my mom, which certainly did not go unnoticed by me.

"What's going on?" I asked, pursing my lips. I looked back and forth between the two most important people in my life, knowing that something was up and wondering what it was.

My mother waved a hand in my direction, attempting to wave off any of my growing suspicion. "Oh, Sonny, sweetie, nothing," she said, tightening her robe with a swift flick of her wrists. "Why don't you go and get ready to go to work. Chad said that he'd drive you today, so you don't have to take your car."

I gave them one more narrow-eyed stare and then pushed back my chair from the table, getting to my feet, which were already cramping inside my fuzzy cow slippers. I never usually wore them for this long, and my feet were unaccustomed to the small amount of space for extended periods of time. I walked out of the kitchen and back to my bedroom, not without sending a couple glances over my shoulder at the two people who I had left in the kitchen. Every time that I looked back at them, they broke off in their conversation and smiled innocently at me, my mother even waving.

I rummaged around in my closet and pulled out a plaid skirt, lacy camisole and leather jacket. I draped these over my unmade bed and went into my bathroom, locking the door behind me. I turned on the shower and cranked the hot water up so that the whole room was filled with steam, sticky and humid. I almost couldn't breathe, but that's just the way that I like my showers.

I scrubbed my body and washed my hair, the scent of lavender filling the air around me. Once I was completely clean I took off the tap and wrapped myself up in my huge blue towel, creating a cocoon around my body. I rubbed my arms and legs dry, put on my bra and underwear and slipped into my robe. I folded the towel over my dripping hair like a turban and stepping out of the bathroom, steam escaping and caking the air once I cracked open the door.

I entered my bedroom and screamed when I found Chad lounging on my bed. He had been texting someone on his cell phone, but at the sound of my shriek his head snapped up. The minute he saw me his cheeks started to flush, turning so red that they almost rivalled mine.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, breathing heavily. My scream had been so loud and high that it had knocked the breath right out of me. I was surprised that my mother hadn't come running into the bedroom, but then again, I supposed that she knew what I would find when I was finished taking a shower.

Sure enough, Chad answered by saying, "Your mom said that I could wait for you in here."

I shook my head. "Can you step outside for a sec, please Chad? I kinda need to put on my clothes."

He nodded and got to his feet, pocketing his cell phone as he strode past me to the door. I sighed and closed it behind him, taking extra precautions and flicking the lock on the doorknob. I quickly disrobed and shimmied into my outfit, completing the look with high heeled black ankle boots and a necklace with an oversized heart on the end. I slipped some bangles onto my wrist, blow dried and brushed my hair, applied my makeup and then opened back my bedroom door, surprised to see Chad leaning against the wall and texting again.

"Who are you texting?" I asked, trying to peer over his shoulder at the miniscule screen. The extra four inches of my heels gave me a good boost of height, but I was still no match for my boyfriend, who snapped his cell closed and stuffed it in his pocket.

"No one," he replied nonchalantly. He smiled at me and cocked his head towards my front door. "Ready to go?"

I nodded and took his hand. "Mom, we're going to work!" I called out, expecting to hear a response. I got nothing, and instead heard the sound of the water being turned on, signalling that my mother had gone to bathe. I was just about to grab a paper and pen and scrawl her out a quick note when Chad enclosed his fingers around mine, gently pulling me towards the door.

"I told her that we were leaving while you were dressing," he said. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, shaking the swath of cloth, but he ignored it. "Come on, you don't want to be late, do you?"

I shook my head, and my curls bounced from shoulder to shoulder. "Not really. Let's go then."

On the way to work, with the wind whipping through my hair since the convertible top was down, Chad and I tried to get a start on our planning. We had been engaged for about a half a year, and we hadn't even decided what kind of wedding we wanted yet. I wanted a big, white, traditional wedding in the springtime, so that we could have it outdoors, but Chad wanted something a little more low-key, saying that the smaller it was, the less planning it required.

"Oh, c'mon, Chad, at least think about it!" I whined, clasping my hands together and looking pleadingly at him. "Consider the possibility?"

He turned onto the Condor Studios lot and parked the car. "We'll see," he told me, cutting the engine and hopping out of the vehicle. "Come on, let's get inside."

The minute that that I stepped into the Prop House, I was bombarded with a boatload of things. First, I saw balloons, streamers and banners, all brightly coloured and hanging all over the room. I heard whistles, cheers and cat-calls, a medley of voices all screaming out birthday wishes to me. I was almost knocked over when Tawni ran over to me and gave me a hug, thrusting a package at my chest and begging for me to open it.

"What is all of this?" I asked, looking around the room at all of the festivities. There were cake, ice cream, presents and even a piñata. I turned to my boyfriend and saw the smile on his face, my suspicions growing. "Did you do all of this? Was this what all of that texting was about?"

He shrugged and pulled me over to the refreshment table, where a huge triple-decker chocolate cake stood. On the top there was a picture of me and twenty candles, all flickering brightly. "Happy birthday Sonny," he said again, and leant down to kiss me.

We were, however, rudely interrupted by a loud _blech!_ that come from behind us. We both turned around to see Tawni standing there, her hand over her mouth. "Geeze, how many times are you guys going to kiss?" she demanded, her hazel eyes sad. "It only reminds me of how much I miss Joe!"

By Joe, she meant her boyfriend, Joe Jonas, who was away on tour in Europe at the moment. He and his two brothers were supposed to be coming home tomorrow, so I don't know what Tawni was complaining about. But then again, if Chad ever had to go away for months at a time to film a movie, I guess that I would be equally as mopey as she had been for the last few months.

"I'm sorry, Tawni," I sympathized, breaking out of Chad's grip and resting a hand on my friend's shoulder. She blinked gratefully at me, and within an instant her whole expression changed.

"Hey, Sonny, you know what would make me feel better?" she asked, flashing me her infamous Tawni Hart smile.

I had a feeling that I was going to regret asking this, but, "What Tawn?"

She pointed at the package in my hands. "If you unwrapped my present!"

I smiled and sat down on the couch, calling everyone to gather around me for the main event. Once everyone was here, I gingerly ripped open the festive paper to reveal a shiny white box. The ends were stuck down with tape, but I recognized the insignia on the cover as being the logo for my favourite store. I wondered if it was the dress that I had been looking at last week, but never bought.

I cut the tape using a knife from the refreshment table and opened up the box. Inside, nestled among tissue paper _was _the black and pink polka dotted dress that I had admired. I lifted it out of the box and when I did, something hard and flat fell out into my lap.

"Thank you so much, Tawn!" I cried. "But what's this?"

She smiled mischievously. "It's a wedding planning book. You and Chad just cannot seem to get your plans in order, and I'm not getting any younger here! I want to be the maid of honour soon! So I got you guys this planning book thingie to help get this show on the road."

I flipped through the book, taking a careful look at all of the pages. They were all embossed with golden flowers, and the lines to write out the plans were golden and shiny. There were week planners, with the dates to be filled in.

"Pretty cool," I said, folding the dress back and resting the book on top of it. I put them both back in the box and closed the lid, setting the gift aside so that it didn't mix in with the others.

Nico and Grady got me a soggy box of ice cream sandwiches. When I had stripped all over the paper away and revealed the gift, Nico had shot Chad an accusatory look and explained to me, "So that your boyfriend Chip wouldn't have to take ours."

Zora had, apparently, gone gift shopping for me with her aunt. She had gotten me a thick book, no less than three hundred pages, entitled, _1001 Ways To Make a Ponytail_. The youngest cast member of our little on set family had repeatedly told me on occasion that her aunt liked to collect books with 1001 ways to do normal, everyday things. She had, according to Zora, _1001 Ways To Make Up Your Bed, _and _1001 Ways To Create a Crepe Paper Rose_.

"Wow, thanks Zor," I said, turning the book to read the back. "This is...interesting."

She rolled her eyes. "I know Sonny, my aunt likes to give them out too. It's not enough to collect them for herself, now she has to share her crazy fetish with the world."

I laughed and hugged the book against my chest. "No, really, I love it. I love all of my gifts...thanks you guys."

Tawni wrinkled her nose. "Even the soggy ice cream?"

"Even the soggy ice cream."

Chad tugged on my hand and I turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't get to give you my present yet," he answered. He dug around in his pocket and produced a jewellery box small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. Tawni gasped and ushered everyone else outside so fast that if I blinked I would have missed it.

"We'll just leave you two lovebirds alone," she winked exaggeratedly at me and closed the Prop House door behind her.

I shook the box in my hand, hearing a faint rattling coming from whatever was inside. He had already proposed, so it wasn't an engagement ring. What else could it be though? A necklace? A bracelet?

"Sonny, are you going to open it?" he asked, gently poking me in the shoulder.

I blinked and then carefully pried off the lid, gasping when I saw what was inside. Balanced on a cloud of white fluff was a delicate silver chain with a single cookie charm hanging from it. I blinked away the tears in my eyes and turned to Chad, a silly smile on my face. "Cookies as in the time we got together?"

I remembered that day so well, because it had been one of the best days of my life. Unfortunately (at the time) Mr. Condor had paired us up to bake five dozen cookies for his charity ball. Chad, being his stupid, egotistical jerky self, dumped a whole bowl of flour over my head. I retaliated by cracking two eggs over his precious hair, and we ended up having a food fight which involved every single ingredient in that kitchen, including the three pounds of chocolate chips (let's just say that I can never wear that shirt – or bra – again). When we had run out of suitable food to throw, I had launched myself on Chad, knocking him to the floor in my rage. I was sitting down on top of him, ready to hit him, when I just leant down and planted a kiss against his lips.

Chad nodded, his eyes trained on my face, trying to gauge whether or not I like the present. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with fervour, tangling my fingers in his smooth blonde hair. "I love it," I said, pulling away and looking sincerely in his eyes. "Will you put it on for me?"

He gingerly raised the chain from the box and opened the clasp, resting the pendant flat against the base of my neck. Just as he was about to fasten it, a loud yell coming from the back entrance of the Prop House caught our attention and we both turned around, Chad's hands suspended in mid-air.

"Tawni! I came back a day early!" Joe Jonas cried, running into the room with his arms open. Nick and Kevin followed closely behind, and they all stopped when they saw the virtually empty room. "Tawni?"

"Joe!" The front entrance slammed open and Tawni ran into the room as fast as she could on her strappy heels. Obviously, she had been listening at the door when she had claimed to leave me and Chad alone, and had heard the entrance of her musician boyfriend. "Joe, you came back! Oh, I missed you so much!"

She jumped into his muscular arms and kissed him passionately, holding his face in her hands. It was like a scene out of a romantic movie, save for the fact that there were four innocent bystanders in this case who didn't exactly need to see their very obvious PDA.

"So...," Nick Jonas said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He kept looking back and forth between me and Chad. His eyes zeroed in on the necklace that was still in Chad's grasp and his eyes narrowed, causing me to inwardly groan. Months before, Nick had tried to break the two of us up twice by kissing me, just because he was jealous of our relationship. Mr. Condor, after hearing about the little fiasco, had sent him and his brothers to Europe early to give his 'biggest money-makers' (namely me and Chad - his words, not mine) some peace. "Happy birthday, Sonny."

Although I was still upset with him over the whole lip locking trick, I was still going to be civil and polite. "Thank you," I said, giving him a thin-lipped smile.

Tawni, who had finally hopped down from Joe's lift and was no standing next to him, gripping his arms, seemed to notice the obvious tension in the room. She smiled nervously and began to push the three brothers out of the door, much like she had done with the guests minutes earlier. "Okay, come on, let's give them a moment alone," she said, almost already at the door.

The last I saw of them was Kevin poking his head back for one second to flash me a smile and say, "Happy birthday, Sonny." His comment was seconded by Joe, who was out of sight but not earshot. He screamed his birthday wishes to me from behind the closed door, and was answered by Tawni's high-pitched giggles.

The door shut with a _click_ and I turned to Chad, smiling. "Now...where were we?"

He – finally! – clasped the necklace around my neck and I let my hair fall down from where I had been holding it up. Gently, I touched the silver cookie with one fingertip and gave Chad one more kiss. "Thank you so much. I love it!"

He smiled briefly at me before clearing his throat and looking down. I knew that something was wrong, but I couldn't possibly imagine what it could be. He had just given me a beautiful necklace, so he wasn't going to break up with me, was he? But no, he couldn't. He was my fiancé, and you don't just dump your fiancé unless you had a good reason. And you especially don't dump your fiancé after giving her a necklace...unless you wanted to leave her something to remember you by.

Fear clutched my heart as I asked him in a small voice, "Chad...what's wrong? Are you going to break up with me?"

He looked up in surprise, his blue eyes flashing with bewilderment. "Sonny, no! How could you even think that? I love you...but I was just thinking about what Tawni said."

"Which was...?"

"You know what, Sonny, I don't want to do this now. Not on your birthday, okay?"

Anger flared up inside of me and I jumped to my feet. "Do what now? What's going on, Chad? If you don't want to marry me, you can just say so, you know. Stringing me along isn't doing anybody any good at all."

Chad got to his feet too and tried to place his hands on my shoulders, attempting to calm me down. "Sonny, can you just listen? I don't not want to marry you! I was just thinking about how we can never get our wedding plans in order because we always disagree on the type of wedding that we want. You want big, fancy, fairytale, and I want smaller, less planning, low key. I don't want to have to invite 500 people, I don't want to give the paparazzi one more place to snap our pictures."

Whenever I got angry or frustrated, I always said things that made no sense, and unfortunately, this was one of those times. "So what Chad, are you embarrassed to be seen with me? Don't want everyone to know that I'm your bride?" I don't even know where that came from, and I knew that wasn't at all what he was saying, but for some reason the statement poured out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Luckily, he didn't take it to heart, which was very un-Chad-like of him. Instead, he sat me down on the couch and knelt in front of me. "Sonny, you know that I don't feel that way. But you also know that I don't really like to do things on my own; I have people do it for me. And well....I can't have someone else plan my wedding, can I?"

I shook my head.

"So," he continued in a soothing voice, "Why don't we just make it a small thing?"

"Because, Chad," I said, standing up and stepping around him. "Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of having a fancy, lavish white wedding. It's been my life's dream! Besides," I concluded, folding my arms and shooting him a smug look. "You _know_ that there is no such thing as a better wedding than a traditional wedding."

Chad faced me square on, his arms also folded. "Oh yeah, Munroe? I bet you that I could find 25 different ways to get married, all better than a traditional white wedding. Because I'm just creative like that."

This intrigued me. "Oh really?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "Well, why don't we make this a little more interesting? You say that you can find 25 different ways? Well, let's bump it up to _26_ and make it a different way for each letter for the alphabet and let's see how creative you really are."

He raised one eyebrow. "Fine, we can do that."

"Fine, we will."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good! And to make this even better, we need to make some rules."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Chad asked, stepping closer to me. "What are your little rules, Munroe?"

I ticked them off on my fingers as I recited, "Rule one: You can't just make a list. You have to actually _show_ me why these weddings are so amazing. This means we have to have a trial run: 26 weddings in 26 weeks."

Chad smirked at me. "Someone's a little eager to marry me, huh? But really Munroe, 26 different weddings?" Something seemed to dawn on him and his eyes lit up. "You do know that this also means 26 different honeymoons, right?"

I rolled my own eyes. "Haha, very funny. But these are _trial runs_. As in, not official. No honeymoon until we have the real thing. Rule two: No repeats. For example, you cannot have B for beach and O for ocean, and both times we're getting married on the sand. And if you can't find 26 different ways to get married, then I win and we have a traditional wedding. But if you _can_, well then we can discuss and see what other options we have. You said you were creative? Well prove it."

"Well fine, I will," he said before turning on his heel and walking away. A mischievous glint had flashed in his eyes before he had turned, and I suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Oh, hey, Chad? Where are you going?"

Without even turning around, he answered, "To borrow a book from someone."

A book? I wracked my brain, trying to decipher what he had just said. Too late, I remembered Zora telling me once that her aunt had found the ultimate prize, a book that was out of print. She had located and bought the last remaining copy in the world, and was extremely proud of her achievement. The title?

_1001 Wacky Ways to have a Wedding_.

I had a feeling that winning this bet wasn't going to be as easy as I had initially thought it was.

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**So, what do you guys think so far?**

**Easy to say and fun to hear!**


	2. Last Minute Details

**So, I just wanted to let everyone know that these updates are going to come slower than the ones for MGSIAAGT, mainly because the chapters are longer. It took three days to write this one, and three days to also write the first chapter. And since I have to juggle writing with my schoolwork and other things that I have going on in my life right now, the updates will not come as quickly. I'll try as hard as I can to post often, but sometimes it just might not be possible.**

**Anyways, there is an important Author's Note at the end, so please be sure to check that out!  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

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Chapter 2

_Last Minute Details_

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The sound of the metal grommets on my curtains scraping across the curtain rod the next morning filled my bedroom, and I groaned and rolled over in my bed, stifling the noise by clamping a pillow down over my ears. The sunlight poured into my room in strips, too intense for so early in the morning. My legs began to feel warm from the rays of sunlight and I quickly flung them over the side of the bed and sat up, stretching my arms over my head as I raked my eyes over my bedroom, trying to find the person who had opened up my curtains.

"Mom, what are you doing?" I demanded, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Sweetie, I tried to wake you up three times, but all you did was turn away from me and whimper _stupid Chad_, so I was forced to resort to desperate measures," my mom explained, straightening the heavy curtains before laying back on my bed. "What's wrong? Did you and Chad get in a fight or something? And on your birthday?"

I rolled my eyes and re-did the ponytail in my hair, catching any straggling bits that had escaped during the night and neatening them up once again. "Well...not a _fight_ exactly, more like a _disagreement._"

My mother looked at me curiously. "What about?"

"It's a long story," I sighed, tightening my ponytail. I dropped my hands to my waist and let out another deep sigh. "We had a..._heated discussion_ about what type of wedding we should have, which resulted in a bet. Between me and Chad."

"Oh really? And what is this bet?"

"He told me that he could think of 25 better ways to get married than a traditional wedding. And I told him that I bet that he couldn't find 26 different ways, one for each letter of the alphabet. And he accepted, and now me and Chad are going to have a fake wedding once a week so that he can try and prove his point to me."

My mother rolled her eyes and looked skyward, biting her lip to try and hold in her laughter. "Only you two would be able to think something like this up," she said, releasing her lip and shaking her head. "So, what are the stakes?"

"If he can't find 26 different ways to get married, then I win and we have a big white traditional wedding. But if he _does _succeed and can pull off all of these weddings, then I have to reconsider and we'll come to a decision about what type of wedding we'll have."

"Wow honey," my mom rubbed her hands together. "Sounds like you have a lot on your plate."

"Actually," I began nervously. "There's more."

My mother blinked at me, confusion evident in her brown eyes. "Like what?"

I took a deep breath and tried to choke the words out, but they got caught in my throat. My mom was so innocent and sweet, completely unsuspecting of what I was trying to say. What I had been thinking about for a few weeks now. What I really needed to do.

How was I going to tell her that I wanted to move out?

I sighed and shuffled over to my walk-in closet, pulling the wooden doors open. "Never mind."

My mother huffed. She hated whenever I broke off my sentences like that. As far as she was concerned, you either say what you need to or not bring it up at all. But she hated that whole trail off, forget what I was talking about crap. "Sonny," she said warningly, fidgeting in my bed so that she was sitting cross-legged amidst my sheets. "What's going on?"

"Mom, forget it," I said, throwing a pair of faded blue jeans over my shoulder. They landed on my bed with a soft _thud_. I then pulled out an oversized black sweatshirt and tossed it behind me, expecting to hear the same sound that I had with my jeans. Instead I heard a muffled _oomph_, and turned around to see my mother peeling the garment off of her face. She looked down at the sweatshirt quizzically.

"Sonny...what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I insisted, but my voice raised an octave. My mother cocked an eyebrow and I looked down, avoiding any eye contact.

"Sonny, sweetie, really? Don't lie to me. I know that not only does your voice get higher when you lie, but you never wear a sweatshirt and jeans unless something is wrong. Since you said everything is alright with Chad, is something going on with Tawni? Nico? Grady? Zora? Oh! Are those Jonas boys back? Did Nick try to win you over again?"

"You, Mom," I mumbled, intently studying the pattern of the hardwood floor.

"_Me_?" My mom's voice turned high pitched due to her shock, and when I finally faced her I saw that her eyes were wide with disbelief. "Nick is trying to win over _me_?"

I stifled a laugh. "No, he's not trying to win over you. What I was trying to say was that something was going on with you."

"With me? What do you mean?"

For the second time that morning I took in a deep breath. However, unlike the first time, I was actually able to say what I had on my mind. "Mom...I love living here with you, but I'm twenty now. And I'm getting married sometime in the near future, and I just...I want to move out of the house. Like, move out, into my own house. It's nothing to do with you, I swear, I just kind of want to live on my own, that's all."

I scrunched my eyes shut and braced myself for my mother's protests, but surprisingly, nothing came. She baffled me by getting up off of the bed and giving me a tight hug, kissing my head gently. "Oh, Sonny, if that's what you want, then that's fine."

I pulled back from her. "Are you serious? You don't mind?"

"Sweetie, no! It's true, you are twenty now, and you and Chad are getting married, and its fine if you want to live on your own. I'm not going to take it personally. Every parent has to go through this; I'm not upset with you."

I breathed out a huge sigh of relief and returned the hug, resting my chin on my mother's shoulder. I glanced over at the clothes on my bed and released myself from my mother's grasp, picking up the outfit and putting it back in the closet. Then I pulled out a black and white dress, a pair of tights and a red cardigan, all of which I draped over my desk chair.

Mom smiled and smoothed her hand over my unruly bed-head curls. "Ah, now there's the Sonny that I know."

I smiled back at her and gestured towards the bathroom. "I'm going to go and take a shower. I'll meet you outside for breakfast when I'm done, alright?"

She nodded and headed towards the kitchen, her footsteps getting fainter and fainter the further away she travelled from my bedroom. Once I couldn't hear the pad of her fluffy slippers anymore, I locked the bathroom door behind me and turned on the shower. I had washed my hair again last night when I had come home, so I fitted a shower cap onto my hair and stepped into the enclosure, tracing my name and a smiley face onto the glass before proceeding with my bath.

When I turned the water off and had finished drying myself off, I wrapped the same blue towel from yesterday around my body and pulled the see through shower cap off of my head, unleashing my brown hair over my shoulders. I plugged in my hair straightener and quickly and efficiently smoothed out all of my curls so that they lay straight down my back, swinging with every movement that I made.

Once I was satisfied, I unplugged the beauty device and stuffed it back in the cupboard under the sink, making sure that it had enough room to cool down and not burn anything. I opened up the bathroom door and hurried into my room, shutting the door with my foot and locking it with a swift twist of my wrist. I dressed (completely mindful not to mess up my carefully crafted hair) and reopened the door, smiling when the smell of fried eggs touched my nostrils.

"That smells so good, Mom," I announced, striding into the kitchen. My ballet flats skid against the kitchen tiles and I gripped onto the counter to steady myself, the bracelets adorning my wrists hitting each other and clacking together. "Whoops."

My mother clicked her tongue and turned away from the stove, holding the pan of eggs in one hand, her trusty spatula in the other. "Sonny, how many times do I have to tell you to be careful?" she scolded, scooping out some off the yellow eggs and dumping them in one of the plates. She repeated the same action with the other plate, both of which were already piled high with slightly burnt toast. "I shudder to think what you would be like living on your own."

I adjusted the bracelets hanging from my arm and looked sternly at her. "Mother, we already talked about this. You don't mind, remember?" I winked at her, causing the whole serious facade that I had going on to crash down, and the kitchen rang with my mother's laughter.

"Oh Sonny, I will miss you," she said earnestly, handing me a plate of breakfast. "Things will be more quiet around here, definitely, once you're gone."

I stuffed a forkful of eggs into my mouth and made a sandwich with the food that was left on my plate while I was chewing. I swallowed and brought the sandwich up to my lips, pausing before I took a bite just long enough to catch my mom's eye. "Don't worry...it's not like I'm going to die," I said. "You'll still see me. I just don't be _sleeping_ here anymore, that's all."

My mother took a sip of her coffee and rolled her eyes at my logic. "You'd better hurry up," she said, checking the time on her silver wristwatch. "Don't want to be late and all that, right?"

I nodded my head in agreement, dumped my dishes in the sink and raced to the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth and did one final damage control check in the floor length mirror. After finally deciding that I looked good enough to go to work, I picked up my purse and dashed out the front door, calling out a good-bye to my mother as I left.

No Chad this morning meant that I had to drive myself to work. I hopped into my car, rolled down all of the windows and blasted my radio, singing my heart out as I zoomed down the highway. Passerby cars honked their horns at me, but I couldn't tell if it was because I was a terrible singer, or they liked how I sounded. Either way, I didn't care, and continued to sing until I arrived at the studios.

"Hey Tawni," I said, slipping into our dressing room and hanging my purse up on the back of one of the chairs. "What's up?"

My cast-mate turned to look at me, fluffing the ends of her curls with both hands. "Joe is coming back to work tomorrow. The cleaning people are just making sure that their set is star-worthy again."

I nodded, remembering how their set had been abandoned while they were away on tour all of those months. The cleaning people should have made periodical cleanings, but they had probably shirked their responsibilities, since no one had been in that area of the studios since the European tour had begun.

"Bet they miss Lucas now, huh?" I joked, and Tawni giggled in agreement.

Right after the Jonas Brothers had left to go to Paris (where they had kicked off the European leg of their tour) Mr. Condor had created a new show starring Lucas Till. The new show had been like a less intense version of Mackenzie Falls, but as cute as Lucas was, he was no Chad. His show had been wildly less popular than all of the others on the lot, and Mr. Condor had cancelled it after only two episodes. Instead of trying to find another show to film there, though, he just decided to leave the set free for when Joe and the others came back.

Tawni swivelled around in her chair and looked at me, pursing her lips. I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that she was mad at me, but I had just seen her coat her lips in Cocoa Moco Cocoa and knew that she was just spreading the gloss and evening out the shine. "So, Sonny, I heard about the bet."

I collapsed on the leopard print couch. "The wedding bet?"

Tawni nodded, her mass of curls shaking. "Sonny, you do know that Zora has a book on how to have like, 1001 weddings, right?"

I snapped my fingers and sat up. Zora! I knew that I was forgetting something! Last night I had every intention of seeing her first thing today and asking her to keep the book away from Chad. But after all of the excitement of talking to my mom about moving out and then having the delicious breakfast that she had prepared for me, it had completely slipped my mind. "I almost forgot! Thanks Tawni!"

A sound in the ceiling made us look up to find Zora leaning her head out of the ventilation system, a crazy grin on her face. "Hey, Sonny, looking for me?"

I twisted my mouth into a frown. "How did you know?"

"I figured that you must've been, considering what Chad borrowed from me yesterday."

I was too late. I groaned and slapped my forehead with my palm. "And did you give it to him?"

Zora nodded, her sleek brown hair quivering. She wasn't the kooky thirteen year old girl that she was when I had first joined So Random!. Her hair, instead of being styled in crazy braids and sproingy ponytails, now reached her halfway down her back, and was always worn flowing, a simple headbands keeping the bangs out of her face. She was much taller now too, only an inch or so shorter than me.

"Zora, why? Now I'm going to lose the bet!"

"I'm sorry, Sonny," Zora said, running one hand over the thick, soft headband that rested against her hair. "But he was just so persuasive! Besides, he promised me that if I gave him the book, then I would be able to be ring-bearer for all 26 of the weddings."

Tawni wrinkled her nose. "Ring-bearer? Don't boys usually do that?"

Zora nodded. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Not really. Wouldn't you rather be the flower girl? Or a bridesmaid?"

"No way, those are too fluffy and poufy. I want to be the ring-bearer! I have this new super strong magnet and I was wondering if it would be able to control the two rings even through the huge pillow. And besides, Chad said that I could be the ring-bearer, and since he's the groom, I'm going to take his word for it."

Once again, I snapped my fingers: the second time in ten minutes. Throughout all of the commotion yesterday, I hadn't even thought about the rings! Wasn't I supposed to get Chad a wedding ring? I mean, I know that this whole thing was made up of trail runs, but shouldn't we at least have had the rings to make it seem more authentic?

"Guys, I have to go and talk to Chad," I said, getting to my feet. "It's super important – about the weddings."

"Oh, well okay," Tawni said, uncapping a bottle of blue nail polish. "But remember Sonny, I want to be the maid of honour!"

I hurried down the hallway, running past the doorways to all of the familiar rooms over on the So Random! side of the building. I rushed all of the way to Mackenzie Falls, getting past Reggie with no trouble at all and banging into the set. I scanned all of the faces, but I couldn't find the familiar blonde hair and blue eyes anywhere.

"Chad?" I called out. Cast and crew members alike turned to me and waved in greeting, but none of them were my fiancé. I turned on my heel, waving back to them over my shoulder and decided to try his dressing room. Usually, whenever he wasn't filming or with me, Chad was running his lines or fixing his hair.

I threw open his door and barged into the room, completely disappointed to find the whole room empty. His favourite leather jacket was hanging on the back of his chair, and his cell phone was lying down on the couch, so I knew that he had come to work this morning; I just hadn't a clue where he was.

"Chad?" I crept up to his personal bathroom and knocked lightly on the door. There was no response, and I let out a deep sigh, blowing the bangs up from my forehead. "Where can he be?"

A light bulb went off and I ran out of his room, almost tripping over the rug that coated the floor. Maybe he was in the commissary, getting some frozen yogurt or a bottle of water! I was so sure that this was where he was that when I arrived at the commissary and couldn't find him, I was shocked stiff. If he wasn't filming, or in his dressing room, or even getting a quick snack, then where on God's green earth could he be?

"Hey, Portlyn?" I asked, approaching the actress, who was nibbling on a piece of steak and laughing with one of the Meal Or No Meal lunchbox girls. At the sound of her name, she looked up at me and smiled.

"Oh, hey Sonny."

"Do you know where Chad is?" I asked, trying not to sound too desperate. This whole chase had started off as me trying to get some last minute details about our bet from him, but ever since I had discovered he wasn't in his dressing room, I had started to get worried.

"Did you, like, check his dressing room?"

I nodded. "He wasn't there."

"Ooookayy. What about on set?"

"I checked there too, and it was Chad-free. I don't know where else to look, and I really need to talk to him."

"About the bet?" Portlyn asked knowingly, and my jaw dropped open.

"How does everyone know about that?"

The brunette shrugged her petite shoulders and flicked a stray tendril of hair away from her face. "News like, travels fast around here."

"I realize," I mumbled. "Anyways, thanks. I guess I'll look somewhere else."

"Don't worry Sonny. I'm sure he'll turn up!"

Wow. I loved Portlyn and all, but she was making Chad sound like my border collie and not my fiancé. I didn't want him to just _turn up_ – I wanted him to be here now so that I could talk to him and get a hug. A nice, long, protective hug.

**

* * *

**

After what seemed like hours of searching all over the building, I decided to give up and take a small, well-deserved break. I had practically turned the whole studios upside down looking for Chad. Tawni had noted, with a bit of a lilt in her tone, that maybe he had gone out to the mall or something, and since he had left his phone on the couch in his dressing room I couldn't even call him to see if this was the case.

With a sigh (probably my fifth one for the day) I started to cross the parking lot, headed towards my secret thinking spot behind the tall oak tree. I was going to sit in my special groove at the base of the trunk, but I found a blonde head bent over a book, eyes trained intently on the page.

"Chad?"

His head snapped up, alarm crossing his features. When he saw that it was only me, a smile warmed his face and he gestured for me to sit next to me, patting the earth beside him. "Hey Sonny, what are you doing here?"

I stared at him incredulously. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here, this is my thinking spot!"

He patted the ground again, impatiently this time. "Sonny, this has been my quiet spot ever since my first year on Mackenzie Falls – before you even came to Condor Studios. So technically, this is _my_ spot. But don't worry; I'm willing to share, especially if it's with you."

I rolled my eyes in response to his statement and plunked myself down on the ground, wriggling a bit to get comfortable before resting my head against Chad's strong chest. I looked down at the book in his lap and my heart sank.

_1001 Wacky Ways to have a Wedding._

I was in trouble.

"So, uh, what are you reading?" I asked, trying with a great effort to keep my voice light.

He chuckled and closed the book on his finger, creating a makeshift bookmark. He slung his free hand around my shoulder and snuggled me closer to him. "Just 1001 ways for you to lose the bet, that's all," he said nonchalantly, stroking circles into my shoulder blade with his index finger. "I'd let you see, but I want you to be surprised."

"Listen, Chad, about the bet-" I began, tucking some hair behind my ear.

I didn't get to ask about the rings, because he rudely interrupted my question with a, "No way, Munroe. You can't back out now, we haven't even started yet!"

"Chad, that wasn't what I was going to say!" I said, raising my voice over his loud protests. He shut up and looked at me sheepishly, inviting me to continue. "Thank you. Now, what I was _going to say_ was that we didn't really iron out all of the details. Like, the rings? Are we getting those for the trial runs, or do we wait until it's time for our actual wedding?"

He brought one hand up to his chest, obviously proud. "Don't you worry your stupid cute little head about that, Sonny. I have that all taken care of."

I raised my eyebrows and looked up at him. "Really?"

"Really. But I do have one question."

"Which is?"

"Yesterday, when you said 26 weddings in 26 weeks. Can I do it so that one day we have a wedding, and within the next three days we have another? Do I have to wait for a whole week?"

I thought about his question. I had only said 26 weeks because I wanted to give him sufficient time to plan and get everything perfect between the weddings, and not make him feel like he was rushed. But if he wanted to have the weddings closer together, then I really didn't have a problem with that, a fact that I didn't hesitate to tell him.

"You know something else, Chad?" I said thoughtfully, biting back a smile. "I just realized something."

"Which is?" he mimicked me, and I slapped one hand against his stomach.

"Shut up. What I'm trying to say is, don't you think that this whole thing is ironic?"

"Ironic how?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to put into words what was so clear in my head. "Well, you didn't want a big wedding because you said that it was too much work, and you didn't want to plan all of that. Yet, here you are, planning 26 different weddings all by yourself."

It was silent, and then a quiet, "_Damn_." This was followed by a smug, "But it'll all be worth it when you lose, Munroe."

"Sure, whatever. Anyways, I should go," I said, bending my knees and pushing off of the ground with my palms. I straightened my skirt, clapped the dirt from my hands and waved at Chad, who lifted his hand in acknowledgement.

I started to walk away, and then doubled back and stopped in front of where he was sitting, the book open on his lap. "Chad, one more thing."

He raised his eyebrows.

"This weekend, can you come apartment shopping with me? I'm moving out of my house, but I have nowhere to go. Can you come with me, help me decide which one is the nicest and cheapest and help me to get a good deal and all of that stuff? Please?"

"I can actually do you one better, Munroe," he said, closing the book for a second time. "Why don't you come and live with me? We're going to get married soon anyways, so what's the point of buying an apartment and moving in only to move out in a few months and live with me? Why don't you just come and live with me right now?"

"Really?" I squealed, my mouth falling into a perfect _oh_. When he nodded, his golden hair falling into his eyes, I threw myself onto him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" I pressed my mouth against his and pulled back, only to attack his whole face with kisses. "Thank you! When can I move in, do you think?"

"After the trip, I guess," he shrugged, running one hand through my hair. He stopped when he reached the ends and started to play with the tips of my hair, twirling them round and round his pointer finger.

"Trip? What trip?"

He let go of my hair, letting it fall back into place as if it had never even been disturbed. "Didn't your producer tell you? We're all – your cast and mine – going on a promotional trip to Australia. Mr. Condor is letting us use the studios' private jet, and we all have to leave tomorrow."

I jumped up from his lap and shrieked excitedly. One of my lifelong dreams was to visit Australia and see the whales. Ever since I was a little girl and had seen a tape of my cousin's trip to SeaWorld, I had vowed to myself that one day, I too would go and see a whale in real life. So far, it had been a pipe dream, since I had never been to anyplace other than Wisconsin and Hollywood, but thanks to Mr. Condor I'd be able to have my dream come true!

"Oh my God, I can't wait!" I cried, hopping up and down. I stopped abruptly and turned to face Chad, who had an amused look on his face. The monstrous book was forgotten, nestled among the grass at his side. "But this means that I have to go and pack! And tell everyone! Bye, Chad!" I gave him one more quick kiss and then danced away, pulling my cell phone out of my cardigan pocket.

I dialled my mother's cell number and waited impatiently for her to pick up. The ringing died down and was replaced by her automated voice mail message, so I cancelled the call and tried again. I got the same results the second time, so even though this wasn't news that was exactly suitable for a voice mail (it was much too big) I was forced to leave her a message.

"Hey Mom, it's me," I said, pulling open the huge metal door and being greeted with a blast of air condition. "Chad only just told me that both of our casts are going on a promotional trip to Australia, and we have to leave tomorrow. I have enough clothes at work and I have a suitcase in my dressing room, so I'm just going to pack here, okay? I'll see you when I get back...love you! Oh, and I found a place to live! Chad said that I could just live with him, which, I know, goes against me wanting to live alone, but since I'm going to be living in the same house as him once we're married, what's a few months earlier, right? Anyways, he said that I could move in when we come back home, so you'll have the house to yourself soon enough. Bye!"

I pushed the door to my dressing room open with a bump of my hip and was welcomed with the sight of all of Tawni's clothes scattered across the floor. Her bright pink suitcase lay open on the couch and she was bent over it, trying to push a makeup case flat against a pile of shirts. She glanced up for a fleeting moment and smiled at me, her hazel eyes dancing with excitement.

"Hey Sonny, did you hear about the trip?" she asked, putting all of her body weight on the purple case. She stepped back with a grunt and the little bag stayed put for a second before popping back up, earning a loud groan from Tawni.

I stepped past her and wedged the makeup case between her shirts and dresses, where it fit snugly, almost hidden by her huge amounts of clothes. "I just did. Chad told me. When did you guys find out?"

"About five minutes ago, when Marshall called a cast meeting. We didn't know where you were, so he waited for you for about...ten minutes, I think," Tawni decided, tapping one blue nail against her chin. "Anyways, he said that he couldn't wait any longer, we were going on a trip, blah blah blah, and one of us should tell you." She pushed the lid of her suitcase down and zipped it up, pausing only once to press down on one little bump that was preventing the zipper from closing all the way.

I dragged my own suitcase out of my changing area and hauled it up next to Tawni's. I didn't have as much clothes as she did, and since they were already neatly folded in my closet, I just transferred the stacks from my shelves to the luggage. I made sure to pack my laptop, my iPod, my diary and my jewellery/makeup case, and I was finished packing in about ten minutes.

I was just about to close up my suitcase and set it down next to the doorway when Tawni called out for me to stop. I looked up at her, a mixture of surprise and confusion on my face. "What's going on?"

Tawni held up the wedding planner that she had given me yesterday. "Sonny, you can't forget this! What if he has one of the weddings while we're away? You don't want to forget in the coming excitement! You should pack this and record what he does. That way, when the bet is over, you can look back at what happened and properly decide what type of wedding you guys are gonna have!"

For once, Tawni actually made sense. I took the book from her outstretched hand and folded it into one of my favourite shirts, keeping it hidden from the security guards at the airport. Satisfied, I zipped up and brought my suitcase down from the couch, the bright yellow dazzling next to Tawni's highlighter pink.

"You know," Tawni said thoughtfully, buffing her nails against her shirt. "I've never actually been to Australia."

I nodded. "Me either. But I'm so pumped! This is so exciting!"

* * *

**Yeah, I know, kind of an iffy place to end. **

**But whatever. I just wanted to let you guys know that the alphabet weddings start in the next chapter. You guys should know what's coming up first, because not only is it kind of obvious, but's also not very creative. It's only the beginning, after all. But, if anyone of you guys have any ideas for upcoming chapters, please feel free to share! And if I use your idea, I will dedicate the whole chapter to you!**

**So, any ideas or requests? Send 'em in and I'll see what I can do, ok?**

**And pleasepleaseplease review!**


	3. A is for Airplane

**And the alphabet starts!**

**A lot of you guys thought that A stood for Australia, but it actually didn't. As you can see, A stood for Airplane! The only reason why I picked Australia was because...well, I'm not going to give anything away. You guys are just going to have to wait and see!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

* * *

Chapter 3

_A is for Airplane_

* * *

"WILL THE CASTS OF SO RANDOM! AND MACKENZIE FALLS PLEASE REPORT TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE."

"Sonny, that's us!" Tawni cried, jumping up from her spot on the couch and practically running out of the door. She grabbed her luggage, which was waiting for her by the entrance, by the extracted rollie-wheel handles and pulled it along behind her, vanishing from sight. The sound of her heels slowed down to a stop, and then got louder as she revisited the Prop House. "Aren't you coming?"

I got up and stretched, arching my arms high into the air. "Calm down, Tawn, I'm coming. Why are you in such a rush anyways?"

She bit the inside of her lip, twisting her whole mouth in thought. She seemed to come to a conclusion, because she shrugged her shoulder and let out a little sigh. "I don't know, I'm just excited to be going to Australia on a private jet, that's all."

I followed her out of the room, lugging my suitcases behind me. The small wheels turned smoothly over the polished floor, making it much easier to steer my luggage than it had been that morning in my dressing room. Tawni picked up her discarded suitcases as we passed and rolled them alongside mine, chattering animatedly the entire way to the main entrance.

"And I need to go and get some more swimsuits...I hear they have _amazing _beaches in Australia," she said, switching her grip on her luggage from one hand to the other. She stopped talking abruptly and turned to me, her eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, did you tell your mom that you were going to Australia?"

I nodded and pushed my bangs out of my face. After my mother had gotten my message yesterday afternoon, she had called me back as quickly as she could to hear more about the trip. I told her all that I knew, and that I was all packed up and ready to go. Her voice was thick was tears as she told me that she had to work graveyard shift that night, so if I wanted I could just sleep over at the studios. "I called her yesterday. She's excited about the trip, because she's never been to Australia either."

Tawni screeched to a stop, her bedazzled suitcase ramming into her legs. "Your mom is coming with us?"

I burst out laughing. "No no no. But she knew just how much I've always wanted to go and see the whales, and she's excited for me to go and then tell her everything when I get back. And she wants me to take pictures – lots and lots of pictures."

She visibly relaxed and resumed walking, brushing past me. I hurried to catch up to her, half dragging my suitcase across the tiles. "But...she's also a little sad, because when I come back I'm moving out."

Tawni stopped again, but this time she parked her luggage properly, narrowly avoiding running over my toes. "You're moving out of your house? When did this happen? And where are you going to stay? Are you buying an apartment?" Her questions were coming a mile and minute, and I held up one hand to silence her.

"Tawni, hush!" I mock-scolded, starting to walk again. We were only a few feet away from the main entrance, and I could see everyone else already gathered in the lobby and talking. A pile of suitcases were off to the left, almost out of eyesight, and a chauffeur was quickly packing them into the trunk of his limo.

His shiny, white, SUV _stretch_ limo. It took all that I had to not drop my suitcases and jump up and down, squealing like a piglet.

"Sonny?" Tawni snapped me back into reality and broke me out of my daze. I shook my head and glanced back at her, widening my eyes innocently. "Some answers would be nice."

"Oh...right," I said, bouncing my head up and down. "So, yes, I am moving out of my house. Yesterday morning I had a little chat with my mom, and we decided that now's a good time to get a taste of living without a parent. And I'm actually not buying an apartment. I was going to, but then Chad said that I could live with him, and I took him up on his offer. So when we come back from Australia, I'm moving into Chad's house with him."

Her eyebrows shot up so high that they were almost lost beneath her curls. "You're _moving in_ with _Chad_?"

I nodded my head again and wheeled my bags over to the chauffeur, adding them to the decreasing pile. He smiled at me and tipped his hat politely before picking up my luggage and fitting them neatly into the seemingly never-ending trunk. I stepped back and positioned my hands on my hips, watching as Tawni handed over her suitcases and laughing when the chauffeur did a double take at the bright pink colour.

"So...," she said, coming to stand next to me and digging an elbow into my rub cage.

"So what?" I asked, backing out of her reach and rubbing my ribs. I could practically feel the bruise forming, and I was not the least bit keen to see what my side would look like tomorrow.

"What are you and Chad going to do when you move in?"

"Umm...live together?" I shot her a puzzled look. "Since we're getting married anyways, we might as well just move in now, right? Instead of me going through all of that trouble to move, and then move again in a few months time."

"That's exactly what I said," Chad's voice wafted into my ear and before I could even turn around, I felt two hands wrap themselves around my waist. I tiled my head back and kissed him, sighing contentedly.

We broke apart just in time to see Tawni gag and stalk away, muttering something about _too much PDA _and _missing Joey so much!_. I giggled and took Chad's hand in my own, leading him over to our group of friends. Marshall had joined the gaggle, and he was clearing his throat and trying to get the attention of the two casts. Everyone was ignoring him though, talking excitedly among themselves until Chad stuck two fingers into his mouth and let out a shrill whistle.

Immediately, the noise stopped, and everyone turned to look at Chad. He just shrugged and motioned for Marshall to continue. I smiled up at him briefly before tuning in to what my executive producer was saying.

"The limo is big enough for all of you to fit comfortably together," Marshall said, fluttering his hands in the air nervously. His fluttering sped up when he added, "And since you are all adults now – 17 is close, Zora – no one will be accompanying you to Australia. This is your chance to show Mr. Condor how responsible you can be."

The whole room erupted in cheers. Everyone was excited at the thought of being chaperone-less during the vacation. Marshall cleared his throat again and waved his handkerchief in the air. This time, unaided by Chad, he managed to get the room to quiet down. He wiped at his forehead with a sigh of relief, and I saw Portlyn curl her lip up in disgust.

"So," Marshall continued, pocketing the handkerchief and running one hand over his balding head. "The private jet will leave at 2 o'clock this afternoon, which gives you enough time to get to the airport and clear customs. Have a great trip, guys!" He smiled widely and motioned his right, where the limo was parked. One door was held open by the chauffeur, who smiled at us.

In a mad tangle of arms and legs, everyone ran to the limo, trying to be the first one in. I stood patiently by the side of the car, watching in amusement as all of my friends pushed and shoved, wanting to sit down on the leather seats that were closest to the mini fridge. I thought that Chad had been one of the pushers, so I was surprised when he slung one arm over my shoulders and pulled me against his chest.

"Chad, what are you doing?" I asked, squashed against his shirt. I planted both of my hands against his chest and pushed back, freeing myself. I took a deep breath and met his eyes, cocking my head slightly to the side. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see Tawni hip-check Nico out of his seat. He bounced to the floor and turned to glare at her, his hat sitting off kilter on his head. She blinked at him once unabashedly, before continuing to scrape the neon striped nail file across her fingertips.

"Waiting to get in. Everyone was pushing, and _no one_ pushes Chad Dylan Cooper. It would ruin this perfection," he waved his hand over his hair as if he was showing off a prize on a game show. "And we can't have that happen, now can we Sonny?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, Vanna."

All of the commotion inside the limo had died down, and everyone was now seated in appropriate spots. They lounged against the soft leather, drinking water from bottles that were found in the fridge and talking among themselves. I slid into the vehicle, and settled into the seat, wiggling twice to get comfortable.

Chad looked at me, confusion darkening his cerulean eyes, but he followed me into the limo, taking the seat on my right, closest to the door. He was reaching out to shut the door, but before his fingers could find purchase the limo driver pushed it closed. A second later, he sat down in front of the steering wheel and we were off.

The drive to the airport was shorter than I had expected, taking only about fifteen or so minutes. By the time that I was completely settled and comfortable, reaching to pluck my own water bottle from the fully stocked fridge, the car screeched to a halt. The chauffeur disappeared, only to reappear again when he opened up the back door. Light flooded in to the previously darkened alcove and I squinted, bringing one hand up to shield my eyes.

Chad got out of the limo. He straightened his clothes and then stuck his hand back in, which I grabbed. He hoisted me out of the vehicle and I bounced against his chest. I giggled and regained my balance, wobbling slightly. Chad chuckled and brushed a lock of my hair out of my face gently. I stepped up on my tiptoes and kissed him, once, twice and then a third and final time.

A gruff cough from behind me reminded the two of us that we were in public. I felt my face heat up and looked over my shoulder to find Tawni glaring at me, stuck in her seat. "Sonny, we need to get out too," she said, pushing her bottom lip out into a pout.

From in the depths of the limo, Zora piped up, "And sometime today would be nice too, you know."

"Ooops," I whispered, and moved out of the way, stepping to the side. I dragged Chad along with me, and we stood next to the chauffeur, who was extracting out bags from the trunk and stacking them neatly on a trolley. With the amount of bags that we had, I was amazed that they could all fit on one trolley alone, but the bags just kept on piling up, wholly balanced.

One by one, our cast-mates filed out of the limo until it was empty. They joined Chad and me by the chauffer, who was pulling out the last bag with a huff. He set it down atop the stack and watched as it swayed from side to side, a panicked look on his face. After what seemed like ages, the pile of luggage stilled and he let out a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one," he murmured, rubbing his forehead with the back of his wrist. He slammed the trunk shut and then – very carefully – wheeled the trolley through the sliding glass doors into the busy airport. We followed him in a line, all of us trekking into the airline confirmation line. Even though we were going on a private jet, we still had to check in with the airport and put our luggage through the gates.

People parted to make room for all of us, their mouths agape as we passed between them. They probably hadn't ever seen this many TV stars all in one area at once, and you could tell by their jumpy movements that everyone was just itching to take a picture or ask for an autograph.

Fortunately for us, Mr. Condor had called ahead and alerted the airport officials that we were coming. They had beefed up on the security, and every time anyone made the slightest movement in our direction, the burly men would glare at them until they stepped back.

We didn't even have to wait in line. As soon as the attendants saw us coming, one rushed over to a closed counter and opened it especially for us. She waved us over and flipped the sign back to CLOSED once we were all in front of her, cutting off the elderly couple that was about to stand behind us in line.

Apparently, she wasn't going to cut her break short for just _anybody_.

"Hello!" she chirped, eyeing Chad. Her dark hair was pulled back in a professional looking bun, but one lock had gotten loose and was dangling in front of her face. She pulled absently on this lock as she gazed at Chad, infatuation making her hazel eyes shine. Her gaze flickered over to me and the sheen dulled somewhat, but it didn't disappear completely.

Our chauffeur was loading the suitcases onto the scale. Every time a bag was given the clear by another attendant who had come to help the dark haired girl, the chauffeur would haul another bag up. He continued doing this until all of the bags were gone. Then, after tipping his hat and wishing us a safe trip, he left.

The girl behind the counter – whose nametag read STEF – was typing something into her computer, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. She looked up, her eyes skimming over each of us quickly before settling in on Chad again.

"What can I do for you?" She winked flirtatiously at him. It was almost as if I wasn't even there. I felt my anger flare up, and I curled my fists into balls, digging my nails into the palms of my hands. Chad rubbed my back soothingly, his way of telling me to calm down. I unclenched my fists, but shot daggers at _Stef_.

"Actually, we're heading to Australia on Mr. Condor's private jet," Chad answered, all business. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a stack of passports, which Marshall must have given him earlier today in the lobby. He plunked the pile down onto the counter and Stef immediately picked them up. She unsnapped the rubber band that held them together and opened up the top passport. She flipped through some pages, studied the picture for a moment and then began to scrutinize me, squinting her eyes.

You could almost see the gears turning in her head. If nothing else, she was wondering how Chad (who she obviously had a crush on) would ever pick someone as ordinary as me. After what seemed like ages, she finally pulled her lips back in a smug smile and stamped my passport.

I knew exactly what she was thinking: _She's nothing special. She doesn't deserve him._ I was used to it by now, but that didn't mean that it hurt any less.

**

* * *

**

By the time that we were finished checking in, we had only about one hour left until it was time to board the private jet. We all sat down in the waiting area, shifting in the hard plastic seats to try and get comfortable. Since we were travelling by private jet, we were the only people in our area, except for one middle-aged man who was sitting down the row, closer to the doors.

When he saw us coming, he started to wave frantically – at me. I had no idea who this man was, so I checked behind me to make sure that I wasn't mistaken. To my surprise, Chad lifted his arm and waved back to the man, who was shaking so hard that his little wire-rimmed glasses were sliding down his nose.

"Chad, who's that?" I whispered between clenched teeth.

He shrugged. "Come on and let's sit over here," he said, gesturing to the same row of chairs that the man was sitting in. He was clearly avoiding my question, and I pushed my bottom lip out a fraction, creating the tiniest pout.

His lips turned up in a small smile, but he just shook his head. Instead, he took a seat almost right next to the man and patted the chair next to him, inviting me to join them. Begrudgingly, I lowered myself into the chair and crossed my legs over each other. I bounced my foot in time to the music that was playing over the airport speaker, and the overhead lights shone on my leather boot.

"Chad...is this Sonny?"

At the sound of my name, I looked up to find the mystery man standing right in front of my fiancé. By a closer look, I could determine that he had light brown hair ringing his head, peppered with some gray. A light dusting of freckles was sprinkled across his nose, and although he was middle-aged, his bright blue eyes made him seem youthful, as if he was in his mid to late twenties.

Chad nodded. "Yup. Isn't she gorgeous?"

I blushed and ducked my head, letting my bangs cover my face. I knew that Chad loved me, but whenever he talked about me like that I got embarrassed. It wasn't that I thought that I was _ugly_ per se, it was just that I saw myself as average.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," the man said, sticking a hand under my nose. I took his outstretched hand in my own and gently pumped it up and down a few times. "Chad really talks a lot about you."

I shot Chad a quizzical look. "How do you guys know each other?"

"Oh, every time that I had to go away for promotional trips, Mr. Condor would send Frank with me, as a chaperone on the private jet. He doesn't really like messes, and he thought that if he had someone else fly with me, then I wouldn't be a slob."

I nodded. I understood the situation now. Frank knew Chad because of all of his previous trips. And now he had to come and chaperone us on the flight to Australia – which would have made perfect sense except that Marshall had said there weren't going to be any chaperones. If Chad thought that he could fool me that easily, then he had another think coming.

Before I could even open my mouth to ask him what was _really_ going on, the intercom beeped to life above us, announcing that our private jet was now ready to board. In other sections of the boarding area, families who hadn't noticed us before now all glanced in our direction, opening gawking at the amount of teenage stars that were within one hundred feet of them.

Chad pulled me up from my seat and we joined the rest of our cast-mates by the glass doors that led to the plane. We were stopped by an attendant, who asked to check our passports one more time. She looked a lot like the woman downstairs. In fact, she looked almost identical to the woman downstairs; she had the same chestnut coloured hair, the same hazel eyes. She even had a dainty mole right underneath her left eye, just like Stef had.

The only difference between the two of them was that this woman had her hair out loose, flowing past her shoulders. The tips of the strands just brushed the waistband of her skirt, but through her hair I could make out the shape of her nametag. Just as she opened her mouth to talk, I saw the bottom curve of a capital S, followed by what looked like an I.

With a start, I realized that this was the same girl from downstairs – the same attendant. She had uncurled her bun so that her hair was loose, but this was Stef. I snuck a peek at her out of the corner of my eye and wasn't too surprised to see her gazing adoringly at Chad...again.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why she had rushed up here to check our passports again right before we boarded the plane. The reason was standing right next to me, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Have a good flight," she called out in a sultry tone. Her wishes were directed solely at Chad, but he (much like everyone else) ignored her as we walked down the sloping runway, heading towards the plane. Frank waddled behind us, bringing up the rear in our little group.

Having never even been on a plane before, I found the inside of the private jet absolutely _amazing_. The whole interior was caramel coloured leather, and the seats were spacious and much softer looking than the ones in the airport. A big screen TV was mounted on the wall, and a miniature refrigerator stood beneath it.

It was like being at home while flying through the air.

"This is so exciting!" I squealed, running over to one of the chairs and plopping down. I bounced up for a split second and then my seat deflated slightly, taking me with it. I turned to Chad, a big smile painted across my face. "These are _so _comfortable!"

The plane jerked forward suddenly, and I let out a scream. I dug my fingers into the armrest so tightly that my nails turned white, and Chad, noticing this, gently unfurled my grip, chuckling lightly. "Sonny, the plane is just doing down the runway. Don't worry, this is completely normal."

In that instant, the plane tilted upward and my head slammed into the headrest of my seat. "And I suppose that this is normal too, huh?" I screamed at Chad, entirely too scared to move. "Oh my God, we're all going to die!"

This time, Chad full out guffawed. "Sonny, calm down! The plane was just taking off! Look out your window and tell me that you don't see the sky."

Very gingerly, I leaned forward in my seat and twisted my body to the right. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass window and checked outside, amazed to find myself looking at an endless amount of blue. Puffs of white clouds were scattered in the air as far as the eye could see, and from this angle they looked like cotton balls floating in the sky.

"I don't see the sky," I said in a small voice, turning away from the glass.

Chad's eyebrows shot up. "What? Really? Sonny, let me see."

He unbuckled his seat belt and stood up, bending over me to look out of my window. When he saw the scene below he let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, pulling away from the window and dropping back into his seat. "Really, Sonny? Really?"

"Yes, really," I said defiantly, sticking out my chin. "Besides, don't worry about that right now. I need you to tell me the truth."

His cheeks tinged rose, but the emotion in his face didn't budge an inch. "About what?"

Frank wasn't exactly sitting near us, but I lowered my voice anyways. "About Frank. Marshall told us that we wouldn't have any chaperones, so I _know_ that you were lying about that. Besides, we're all adults now – except Zora – so we're not going to make any messes. So Chad, really...who is that guy?"

He sighed. "Ok, I lied to you. He's not really the private jet chaperone. Frank is really an actor, and I hired him to do something very special for me."

Any anger that I had felt about him lying to me was replaced with curiosity at his last sentence. "What's he doing?"

Chad cleared this throat and then got to his feet. As everyone turned to look at him, he straightened his clothes and cleared this throat again. "Sonny," he said, looking right into my eyes. "Sonny, what's the first letter of the alphabet?"

"A," I answered, my eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. Why would he ask me a question about the alphabet? Not only was it entirely random, but it was also the kind of question that you would ask a child at a pre-school level. What was going on?

Out of the blue, the pieces lined up in my head and clicked together. All at once I remembered the wedding planner book that Tawni had given me a couple of days ago, and I caught her eye. She was grinning excitedly at me, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. She seemed to have put everything together also, and her eyes were practically bugging out of her head.

"So Sonny," Chad continued, sweeping his arms out around him. "**A is for Airplane**."

Frank jumped up from his seat and ran around the aisles like a chicken with no head. "Chad, you didn't tell me that we were doing this now! I'm not ready!" He grabbed his bag from the empty seat next to him and ran for the bathroom, muttering under his breath the whole way.

I raised my eyebrows at Chad, asking for an explanation for that strange behaviour. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, Frank is the actor that I hired to be the priest in all of our trial runs. So that it feels realistic, only it won't be an actual wedding."

"Oooh," I said, nodding my head slowly. "I get it now."

"Sonny!" Tawni shrieked, bouncing up from her seat and rushing over to me. "Don't you get what this means? You're going to get married now!"

She let out the loudest squeal that I had ever heard, but it was contagious. Soon enough, I was squealing along with her, and we were dancing all over the plane. Chad watched with an amused look on his face, but the expressions on Nico, Grady and Zora's faces suggested that they thought we were psychos. All of the Mackenzie Falls cast (save Portlyn, who was clapping her hands) were looking as if they wanted to be anywhere but here.

Frank hustled out of the bathroom, fully clothed in a black robe that I recognized from church. It was what priests always wore then they were conducting a service or marrying two people. With a start, I realized that Chad and I were the latter, and I let out another high-pitched squeal of excitement.

Frank cleared his throat and opened the Bible that he held in his hands. As far as I knew, he wasn't actually going to read from it; it was just for show. He must take his acting gigs pretty seriously if he was willing to trudge around with a Holy Bible. He flicked through a few pages, peering down his nose at the words in front of him. Finally, with another _ahem_ and a final sweep around the plane. He began to talk.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two young souls, Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe. If anyone wishes to object to this union of holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

There was a moment of silence when we all glanced around the room, the anticipation eating away at my stomach. Just as Frank was about to continue, Skylar got to his feet confidently. Everyone turned to look at him, and Tawni's mouth opened in horror.

"I object!" Skylar announced.

I stood rooted to my spot, paralyzed by the shock.

"Skylar...what are you doing?" Chad ground out, his eyes sparking with fury.

Skylar shrugged, and his hair sprang with the movement. "Nothing. I just wanted to make this more ominous, like Mackenzie Falls. Sorry, I just couldn't resist."

Chad's shoulders uncoiled and he let out a sigh of relief. "So, you don't really object to me and Sonny?"

He shook his head. "No! You guys are perfect together! Proceed, Frank," he added, sitting back down. Chastity, who was sitting next to him, smacked his arm and gave him a warning look.

Frank rolled his eyes, as if to say _teenagers!_, but he cleared his throat again and picked up where he had left off.

"Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," I said, choking up. I knew that this wasn't real, that it was only a trial run, but I was still overcome with emotion. Chad rubbed his thumb over the pad of my palm, and I smiled at him.

Frank pulled out two identical golden rings from the pocket of his robe, and handed one to me. I twirled it over my fingers, taking in the smooth texture and the bumpy ridges that were embedded in the design.

Instinctively, I knew what I was supposed to do with this. I slipped it onto the third finger on Chad's left hand, noting with a smile that it was a perfect fit.

" Do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

This time, Frank handed the second ring to Chad, and he mirrored my actions. The gold was cool against my skin, and the ring itself looked great on my finger. I just couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight of a wedding ring on my hand, and Chad had to gently take my chin in his hands and reposition my face so that I was looking at him.

Frank clamped the Bible shut and smiled at us. "Then you may now kiss the bride."

Chad leaned forward and captured my lips with his. I let go of his hands and wound my hands around his neck, raking my fingers through his silky golden locks. He grabbed me around my waist and I stepped up on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss, forgetting momentarily that we did, indeed, have an audience.

"Sonny, do you know what you have to do now?" Tawni asked, pulling me away from Chad. I stumbled backwards, my lips slightly swollen from the kiss.

"What?" I asked, sneaking a glance at my wedding ring. I just couldn't get over how perfect it looked. Almost as if it were made especially for me.

Tawni picked up my carry-on bag and unzipped it. She rummaged around through my change of clothes and paperback novel (_The Last Song_) until she found what she was looking for. She unearthed the wedding planner that she had bought me and pulled a pen out of her purse.

"It's a good thing that I packed that in my hand luggage at the last minute," I said dryly, taking the two items from her outstretched hands and going to sit down. And it was true. Right before I had gone to sleep last night, I had decided that I should take the wedding planner in my backpack as opposed to my suitcase. Just in case that anything happened to my luggage, I wanted to make sure that I always had this on me.

Tawni followed me like a lost puppy. She plunked into the seat next to me and stuck her head over my shoulder, watching rapt as I opened up the book and flipped to the right page. I clicked the pen and brought the tip down to the paper, pausing for only a second before I scrawled out, _A is for Airplane_ in my loopy handwriting.

"Is that all?" Tawni pouted when I shut the book.

"Yup."

"Really?"

"Yes, Tawn. Maybe later I'll add more, but that's all for now."

Tawni got to her feet and stalked back to her seat, her pout still in place. Not two minutes after she had gone, Zora took the seat that she had just vacated, swinging her hands behind her head and leaning back on her palms.

"So was this better than a traditional wedding?" she asked, one eyebrow cocked.

I shook my head and studied the ring on my marriage finger again. "But it's enough," I said quietly, unable to tear my eyes away from the golden band. "It's definitely enough."

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**Reviews would be nice!**

**Por favor (almost forgot my manners lol)**


	4. B is for Bouncy Castle

**I know, I know, it's been like, forever since I've updated. And honestly, for that I apologize. But I've had a bit going on, and I never got time to write. And then, when I did get time, I just couldn't put what was in my head down to paper. I was sticking, and I knew it, and I hope that you all can forgive me.**

**The last time I updated, I was in a bit of a rush, so I didn't really fill out my Author's Notes like I had wanted to. Now, though, since I have time, I can redeem myself! So, I just wanted to say _Thank You!_ to everyone who reviewed and sent in ideas. A special shout-out to **AkinaA**, who not only gave me ideas, but tried to think up a wedding for every single letter of the alphabet! That was amazing...and you'll probably have a lot of chapters dedicated to you! Probably.**

**But really, thanks to everyone who sent in ideas and requests. They mean a lot to me, and also, they help me get this show on the road.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

* * *

Chapter 4

_B is for Bouncy Castle_

Dedicated to MonkeyGirlxoxo

* * *

As soon as I stepped off of the plane, I stretched my arms above my head and tried to balance on my tiptoes. The flight to Australia was a long one, and I found myself especially grateful that we had been able to travel on a private jet. If we had to fly on a commercial airplane for a trip that long, I don't know what I would have done, seeing as I was stiff and sore all over as it was.

I bounced a little on my toes and stifled a yawn, feeling drained. The private jet was comfortable, and I was _immensely_ grateful that Mr. Condor had let us use it to get here. But after being cooped up in one place for that amount of time – 17 hours! – I was so tired that I could barely move. It honestly took all of my strength just to clear the airport, and I was so happy to just sit back in a taxi and head over to the hotel.

I leaned my head against the back of the leather seats and let out a deep sigh, enjoying the rocking of the car as we drove down the highway. To my left, Tawni was humming under her breath and twirling one curl around her index finger, seemingly lost in her own world. I rested my forehead against the glass window, my eyes trained on the scenery zooming past.

As far as I had seen, Australia was gorgeous. The sun was boiling, the air smelt a lot like brine, and the water was even bluer than Chad's eyes. I felt my mind beginning to drift, and my eyes started to lower, cutting off the view from my seat. The car suddenly hit a pothole, and I banged my head against the car door. At the sudden impact, my eyes snapped open and I winced, bringing one hand up to massage the sore spot on my head.

Chad twisted around in his seat and looked at me with concern. "Was that you, Sonny? Are you okay?"

In the rear view mirror, I could see the cabbie – he said that his name was Fletcher– roll his eyes and shake his head at my fiancé's alarm. He was completely cynical about love, he told me while he was loading our luggage into the trunk of his bright yellow car. Chad had been trying to flag down another taxi for his cast, since we all couldn't fit in one car.

Fletcher had taken this opportunity to inform me that he didn't approve of my and Chad's relationship, because love wasn't real. It was just an idea that was created by people to help sell things and make money. I think that he had been in a continuous string of bad relationships which had moulded his take on love, but his cynicism hadn't changed my mind any.

"I'm fine," I answered, opting to lean my head against the backrest this time, staying far from the window. "I just hit my head on the window, but I'm fine. Anyways Chad, are we almost there?" I covered my mouth with my hand and let out a yawn, instantly feeling more relaxed.

He turned to Fletcher, the question hanging in the air between them.

The cabbie brushed some of his jet black hair off of his forehead and spoke around the unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "About five more minutes until we reach the hotel, Miss Munroe. Think you can hold on that long?" He playfully winked at my reflection and I smiled, noting how Chad rolled his eyes. The two didn't seem to get along very well, but Chad had decided to sit in the passenger seat because he wanted to be in charge. At least for now. Power was something that he loved, even if it was just coming from sitting in the front seat of a taxi as it transported us to our hotel.

Fletcher turned the steering wheel sharply, and the wheels screeched as we slid in front of the hotel entrance. Tawni finally snapped out of her dream world and screamed, clutching my arm so hard that she left red imprints of her hands across my skin.

"Tawni, calm down!" I pried her fingers off of my arm and rubbed the sore spot, which was now decorated with angry looking red welts. "We're here."

Fletcher flipped his visor back up, and it hit the roof of his car with a muffled _thud_, demanding the attention of everyone in the car. Zora squirmed out from between Tawni and Nico, a look of relief on her face. She dug her elbow into Nico's side, and he awoke with a snore. He looked around the taxi, disoriented, only realizing what was going on when Zora pointed to the hotel outside. The look of confusion morphed to one of excitement as if by magic and he slapped Grady on his head, causing the blonde to wake up with a start.

"What's going on?" Grady asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"We're at the hotel," I announced, pushing open the car door and hopping out. The early morning sun beat down on my head, and I felt my hair begin to heat up already. The sunshine stung my exposed arms, and I hurried underneath the awning over the entrance of the hotel. The shade was a welcome change and I gathered my hair up into a loose ponytail to keep the strands off of the back of my neck.

Fletcher quickly unloaded his trunk and tipped his hat to me once before driving off. We had already paid him before he had agreed to drop us off, and now we were alone, waiting for the other taxi to arrive. Chad casually loped his arm around my waist and I laid my head against his chest.

"Can we go in without them?" I asked, mumbling into his clothes. "I want to go to sleep."

Chad nodded. "Hey, guys, me and Sonny are going to go in and get all of our rooms from the check-in counter, okay? You four stay out here and keep an eye out for Portlyn and the others. And Frank is in their car; he's staying in this hotel too. But he's going to be on another floor, and he'll only be in contact with us when I need him."

The rush of finally arriving at the hotel was starting to wear off, and my eyes were already closing by the time that Chad had finished his little speech. He supported my body with his arms and half-carried me into the hotel. As soon as he opened the glass doors, I was hit with a burst of air conditioning, but all it did was make me even more tired.

Luckily, there was no line in front of the desk, so Chad and I didn't have to wait for any amount of time. The woman behind the desk spoke with a crisp American accent and as she spoke, her blonde bob bounced around her ears. Her hands were folded on the counter of the desk, and as she saw us approaching her eyes widened, but thankfully, she didn't make any noise.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

Chad's arm never left my waist, but he leaned forward on the desk so that he could talk quietly to the attendant. "We're here on a promotional trip for Condor Studios? Did Mr. Condor book us any rooms?"

The attendant tapped on her keyboard, emitting a loud _ding_ from the computer monitor when she found what she was looking for. Her eyes scanned the reservations once before she glanced back up at us. "Yes, Mr. Cooper, we have five rooms booked underneath a Mr. Condor. They are all suites, with living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms. Mr. Condor has also already taken care of the cost. Would you like to hear the sleeping arrangements?"

We exchanged a look at her last sentence, disbelief written all over our faces. Sleeping arrangements? Everything else that she had said sounded divine, but _sleeping arrangements_? My eyes, which had been at half mast before, shot open. I was suddenly alert, and Chad was already tapping his fingers on the counter.

"Sleeping arrangements?" he questioned, twisting his mouth to the side. "Well, sure, lay them on me."

The woman flashed her bleached white teeth at him and began to read off of the computer screen. "Well, in room 1233, we have Tawni and Chastity. In 1234, Skylar and Ferguson. Right next door to them, in room 1235 is Zora and Marta. Finally, in 1236 we have Grady and Chad, and in 1237, Sonny and Nico."

My jaw dropped open. Me and _Nico_ in the same room? Don't get me wrong, he was my friend, but I had wanted to room with my fiancé!

Chad, it seemed, felt the same way. He turned on his charm and stared at the attendant with his hypnotic blue eyes. Even from the slight distance between the two of us, I could see her composure starting to waver. No one was immune to the charm of CDC – eventually, everyone succumbed.

"Listen, _Alana_," he said, reading her nametag. "Sonny here is my _fiancé_. So, quite obviously, I want to room with her. Do you think – just this once – you can look the other way and change the sleeping arrangements? I don't think that it's very fair for my fiancé to have to sleep in the same room with another guy, do you?"

Alana shook her head, and the ends of her hair hit her cheeks, which were flushed a light pink. "I-I suppose not, Mr. Cooper. Just a moment please."

We watched in satisfaction as she typed something into the computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard. A moment later, she turned to look at us – or, more specifically, Chad. "So, the new arrangements are Nico and Grady in room 1236, and you and Sonny in room 1237."

"Thank you, Alana. And why don't we keep this our little secret, alright?" Chad said smoothly, taking the pile of keys in his hand and turning away from the desk. His grip on my waist tightened the further we got from the check-in counter, but I pulled away, wide awake now.

"Do you think that the other taxi arrived yet?" I asked, spinning around to face him. "Because I really want to go and take a shower."

"Well, why don't you?" Chad untangled the keys from each other and held one out to me. On the card attached to the metal object was a large number typed in a bright red font, reading 1237. "You go ahead and take your shower, and I'll meet you upstairs once everyone has their room numbers."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Go ahead."

I beamed and kissed him once before flouncing over to the elevators, my carry-on bag slung over my shoulder. I was so glad that I had thought the not only pack the wedding planner in my backpack, but also a pair of pyjamas as my emergency change of clothes.

The elevator doors slid open and I stepped inside, pushing the button for the twelfth floor repeatedly. The old woman who was standing next to me – the only other person in the elevator – glanced at me, her eyebrows raised.

"You know, dearie, that doesn't make it go any faster," she croaked out, tapping her wooden cane against the carpeted floor.

I dropped my hand and smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry...I just want to get upstairs and take a shower. I just came from California, and it was a long flight."

The elevator stopped moving then, and the door opened up, giving me a clear path to my hotel room. I waved half-heartedly at the old woman over my shoulder and started down the expanse of golden carpet, getting closer to my room with each step. I stuck the key into the lock and turned it to the right, hearing the lock give away. The door swung open and I, holding it back with my forearm, stepped inside.

The place was gorgeous. The suite opened up with a spacious kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances and a granite countertop. The island in the middle of the kitchen was covered in notices and fliers about the special occasions for the hotel guests; an array of colour. The kitchen filed out into a living room that had two huge leather sofas and a flat screen TV that was at least 64 inches. Off of the living room was a hallway which I assumed led to the bathrooms and bedrooms.

Or, should I say, bedroom. I discovered upon further investigation that the whole suite only had one bedroom, with one king sized bed right in the middle. Although I was a little nervous at the thought of sleeping in the same bed with Chad, I was happy that I didn't have to share the room with Nico, as was originally planned. That would have been seriously awkward.

I dropped my backpack on the ground and padded down the hall until I found a small closet just in front of the living room. I pulled on the handle and it folded open, moving to the side. Just as I had hoped, it was the linen closet, stuffed to the brim with rags, towels and bed sheets. I pulled out a fluffy pink towel and knocked the door shut with my hip before heading back to the bedroom.

I shuffled through my bag and picked out my pyjamas, a cow-print sleep pants and a tank top. Along with my new towel, I slung them over my forearm and decided to go and take a shower. As soon as I opened the door, my mouth dropped open in shock. Not only was the bathroom _huge_ but it was also beautiful.

The whole thing was done up in gold and red, and it was spotless. The tiles on the floor gleamed and the mirror was so shiny that I could almost see a reflection in my reflection. The bathtub was gigantic, big enough for about three people to sit in at once and right next to it stood a shower stall that was made of frosted glass.

What I needed right now was a chance to relax and unwind, which was what a bubble bath was perfect for. But I also wanted to finish quickly, so I opted for a shower instead, turning up the water so that steam filled the room. The minute I stepped into the stream of water, I instantly felt my fatigue melt away, replaced with a feeling of calm.

I thoroughly scrubbed my body, relishing the rough beads from the body wash scrape against my skin. By the time that I shut the water off, my skin was tingling and felt silky smooth – no doubt due to the meticulous cleaning that I had just done. I stepped out of the shower stall and wrapped my towel around my body, folding the top corner into itself to keep the whole thing in place.

I blow dried my hair, slipped into my pyjamas and tied my brunette locks back into a sloppy ponytail. Then I hung my towel up to dry, emptied my dirty clothes into the bathroom hamper and dived onto the bed. My head landed smack dab on the over sized pillow and I let out a deep sigh of contentment as my eyes drifted closed.

I heard the front door open and Chad's voice call out for me, but both sounds seemed far away, and I was too lazy to get up and go to them. Footsteps were coming towards me, and I tried to crack one eye open to see what was going on. I succeeded, only to find a blur of blonde hair and blue eyes directly in front of me.

Chad.

I smiled and snuggled closer to my pillow, flipping my body around so that I faced in the other direction. A hand pressed gently against the small of my back and I hummed softly, the excitement from the whole day finally catching up with me.

The last thing that I remember was Chad pressing a kiss against my forehead, and then I was dead to the world.

**

* * *

**

I smoothed the last bit of sunscreen over my arms and lay back against my beach towel, the sun's rays tickling my stomach. Next to me, Tawni slipped her sunglasses down from the crown of her head onto the bridge of her nose, her lip-glossed lips posed in the perfect pout.

"What's wrong, Tawn?" I asked, turning my head a fraction of an inch to look at her. I flipped my hair over my shoulder and supported my weight on my elbows, my eyes still not moving from her expression. "What's with the face?"

She sniffed. "I just thought that my front is going to get a lot tanner than my back if I don't turn around now," she explained, sitting up on her knees. She flopped down on her stomach and untied her bikini strings to avoid tan lines. Once she was comfortably settled, her face relaxed into a smile again and she rested her cheek against her hands, facing in my direction. The golden bundle of curls that was sticking up from her head quivered every time she moved, making it impossible not to smile. "There we go; all better!"

I mirrored her actions so that we were face to face. "The next wedding is tomorrow!"

Her mouth dropped open. "What? When? How do you know?"

I giggled. "Chad told me this morning. While we were eating breakfast."

The smell of bacon and eggs had roused me from my sleep, and I was greeted with the sight of Chad bringing me breakfast in bed. He was holding a special tray with legs that was piled high with a plate of food, a jug of orange juice and a flower. He set this in front of me and then perched on the edge of the bed, studying my expression.

"Room service," he said by way of explanation. "They brought this stuff up about two minutes ago."

I scooped a spoonful of eggs into my mouth, savouring the flavour on my tongue. It was delicious; the best eggs that I had ever tasted. Even the bread looked incredible: toasted to perfection with the corners slightly browned. "Aren't you going to have any?" I asked, my mouth overflowing with food.

Chad shook his head.

"Why not?"

"I ate already. Actually, there's something that you need to know."

The food lost all of its flavour and I had to fight to swallow. Something in his tone made me wonder what was up, and I was suddenly scared. It must have shown in my face, because Chad barked out a laugh and laid one hand reassuringly on my shoulder.

"Nothing bad, Sonny. I was just going to tell you that our next wedding will be tomorrow. I've already gotten everything set up, but I just wanted to let you know so that you didn't make any plans with Blondie."

I nodded in understanding and took a bite of toast. After I had swallowed, I smiled coyly at my fiancé and said in an enticing voice, "So, Chad? What's this wedding going to be?"

He shook his head. "You're just going to have to wait and see tomorrow," he answered. He ignored my huff of impatience and ruffled my hair, which has escaped my ponytail through the night. It now hung down past my shoulders, a little ruffled but more or less neat, considering the time of day.

Tawni's eyes widened as I finished recounting the day's events so far. "So...you don't know what he has in store for this wedding?" she clarified, scratching her cheek with her long nails. When I shook my head, she rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Sonny, look around!" she cried, gesturing with a flick of her arm. "We're in Australia! We're lounging on a beach! A _beach_, Sonny. What do you think he's going to do?"

This time, my eyes widened. "You think he's going to plan a beach wedding?"

She rolled her eyes again. "What else can you possibly think of?" She brought one hand to her chest and sat up, holding her bikini top in place while she repositioned her body. Once she was good, she retied her straps tightly and pulled her hair free from the bun. Her curls cascaded down around her shoulders so perfectly that it looked as if they had never even moved. Further down the beach, a couple of guys who had been looking at Tawni – obviously trying to work up the courage to ask her out – stared, their mouths agape.

Tawni got to her feet and slung her beach bag over her shoulder. She reached one arm down for me to take hold of, which I did. She pulled me to my feet before slipping her sunglasses from her nose back into her hair. Her hazel eyes were glittering with excitement as she regarded me, and I looked at her wearily.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, folding up my beach towel and slinging it over my shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Tawni played innocent. Her cover would have worked perfectly if she wasn't avoiding eye contact so deliberately.

"C'mon, Tawni. You have that look in your eye, and I want to know what it is. What are we going to do now? Where are you taking me?"

She dropped the hand that was gripping my forearm and sighed in exasperation. "I just want you to go and get a nice bikini...is that so wrong?"

"Why?"

"Because, Sonny," she said dramatically, leading me over to the boardwalk. "All of your bathing suits are _not_ suitable for a wedding. They're so...._bleh_. Like what you have on now, for example."

"Hey!" I cried out defensively. I looked down at my brown bikini and frowned. "What's wrong with this one?"

"Where to start?" She ticked off her fingers as she talked. "The colour is washed out, the flowers are childish and there are threads hanging off of the strings. This would be bad on any normal day, but for a wedding? Not going to cut it."

I ducked my head. "Ouch."

The sound of Tawni's laughter filled the air, and the two guys turned to look in our direction, almost drooling. "Oh, Sonny, don't worry. That's why I'm going with you. We're going to find you a nice bathing suit that shows off your assets and isn't..._gross_," she finished, using her fingertips to pick up one of the strings on my bikini.

I rolled my eyes and pulled away from her, attempting to go in the opposite direction, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Her grip was like an iron vice, and I jerked back, almost knocking into her.

"Hey, Tawni...let go!" I cried, struggling to free myself from her grasp. She ignored me, using her energy to point to the store in front of us. In the display window, two mannequins were clad in bathing suits, each a bright colour. One was a one piece with a low front and cut outs on the sides. The other was a bikini with a lacy top and a boy shorts bottom, both made to look as if they were denim. "Oh, those are cute."

Tawni laughed again. "Let's go inside, okay?"

I have no idea why she even asked me, since she was opening the glass door and strolling into the store (dragging me along with her) before the words even left her mouth. I opened my mouth to scream in protest, but she shoved a hanger underneath my nose. The bathing suit slapped me in the face, and I wrenched the hanger from Tawni's fingers to hold it an arm's length away.

"What's this for?" I asked, waving the hanger around. The bathing suit sailed like a flag, coming to a rest when I stopped moving the hanger.

"To try on, Sonny, duh."

"What? Tawni, I told you I didn't want – hey!"

She ushered me into a dressing room and closed the curtain with a flourish. I tried to get out of the little cubicle, but she pushed me back in and stood guard over the doorway. "Now listen to me, Sonny. You are not leaving this store until you find a cute bathing suit to wear to the wedding, so you can either make it easy or hard on yourself. Your choice, Sonny."

I sighed in defeat and began to strip out of my bikini. I unzipped my beach bag and pulled out my actual clothes for the day, draping them over the lone chair that stood in the corner of the room. I slipped into my underwear and then tried on the bikini that Tawni had unceremoniously shoved in my face. After I tied the strings and smoothed out the bottom, I took a deep breath and turned to face my reflection.

My breath caught in my throat. This bathing suit was perfect. It was glittery and black, so that whenever the light hit it, I sparkled. I had no idea that there was ever such a thing as a push-up bikini, but here I was, wearing one. I looked completely different from my clothed self, and yet, also the same.

"Sonny, are you done? How did it look?"

"Perfect!" I called back over the curtain, my voice swelling with pride. "It's perfect!"

"Told you!"

I quickly took off the bikini and threw on my shorts and tank top before pulling open the curtain. Tawni jumped in surprise, but quickly regained her composure and smiled at me, trying to act as if nothing had happened. She followed me to the cash register, but abruptly tugged on my arm, almost popping it out of the socket.

"_Ow! _Tawni, what was that for?"

She held up a white cover up dress as her answer. It was strapless, and the top half was raunched together, creating the effect of waves. From the waist down, the skirt was short and flowing; the kind of skirt that made twirling fun. It was the perfect colour to show off my new tan, and I took it from Tawni's outstretched hands.

"Thanks Tawn," I said, laying the clothes on the counter. She smiled and fluffed her hair, obviously pleased with her keen eye. The cashier began to ring the beach outfits up, and I pulled out my wallet, prepared to pay any price.

It would all be worth it when I got to see the look on Chad's face tomorrow.

**

* * *

**

"Sonny, you look gorgeous!" Tawni exclaimed, clapping her hands. Her special nail file lay forgotten next to her as she stared at my outfit. "Am I good, or am I good?"

I stepped away from the mirror to turn around again, appreciating the way the skirt billowed around my knees. "Are you sure it's not too much?" I asked doubtfully, pulling up the dress higher on my chest.

Tawni rolled her eyes, but didn't answer. Instead, she resumed her filing, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. I couldn't really blame her for being annoyed at my questions; it was, after all, the millionth time that I was asking her this.

My cell phone mooed (I know...reception in Australia! Mr. Condor didn't mess around with his phone plans!) from where it sat on the nightstand and Tawni let out a shriek of excitement. Chad had told me – before he left to get ready for the wedding – that once everything was good to go, he would text me. Only then was I supposed to go down to the beach, where he would be waiting for me.

"Sonny, is it him? Is it time to go yet?" she asked, bouncing on the bed.

I held up one hand to silence her and checked the message, a whole smile breaking over my face when I saw that it was time. I nodded wordlessly at Tawni before whirling around to check my hair one last time. In keeping with the whole beach theme, Tawni had styled my hair in tousled waves, and they looked fantastic.

"C'mon, let's go!"

I laughed and followed Tawni out of her suite and down the hall, my flip flops smacking against the soles of my feet as I tried to keep up with her frantic steps. However, once we stepped outside and I saw what was waiting for me, I grabbed Tawni's arm and stopped her, dread eating away at my stomach.

"Sonny...what is _that_?" she asked, her voice laced with horror.

I shook my head, my throat too tight to speak. I swallowed and felt the muscles relax, not much, but just enough for me to croak out, "Huh...guess it's not a beach wedding after all."

Chad was standing in front of the _thing,_ and when he saw me he started to wave. "Sonny! Come on, we're ready!"

I exchanged a look with Tawni before slowly making my way down to my fiancé and the abomination that was swaying in the wind behind him. The closer I got to him, the more my eyes widened, taken by surprise at the sheer size of that thing.

Chad's eyes widened too, but I'm pretty sure that it had more to do with my outfit, considering he had planned this whole thing: the giant bouncy castle behind him couldn't have been a surprise as far as he was concerned.

"Wow, you look great, Sonny," he said, his eyes trailing across my body.

I blushed and slapped his arm. "What's all this?"

He spread his arms out wide. "Well, Sonny, **B is for Bouncy Castle**!"

Movement from inside of the bouncy castle caught my eye, and I turned my head to see Frank dressed in the same black robe that he wore on the plane, the Bible in his hands. He waved at me, and beckoned for Chad and myself to join him in the bouncy castle. I looked over my shoulder at Tawni, who shrugged, and was surprised to see all of our other cast members gathered around. In all of the excitement, I must've missed them.

Chad took me by the hand and led me over to the inflated palace. I took off my slippers and then he hoisted me up into the depths of the castle, where I had no choice but to bounce. My skirt flew up and my hair swung all over my head, but I was surprised at how much fun I was having. It wasn't exactly what I had been expecting, but it wasn't so bad either.

Chad joined me, and then we were bouncing side by side in front of Frank, who was also jumping up and down. Chad motioned for him to continue with the wedding, and so he cleared his throat and straightened his glasses.

"We are - gathered here today – to - celebrate the - joining of two young souls, Chad - Dylan Cooper and - Sonny Munroe. If anyone - wishes to object - to this union of holy - matrimony, speak- now or - forever hold - your peace."

This time, we all turned to look at Skylar. He at least had the decency to look abashed, and he hid his face in his hands. When no one else spoke up, Chad and I fixed our attention on Frank once again, and he proceeded with the ceremony.

"Do you, Sonny - Munroe, take Chad - Dylan - Cooper to be - your lawfully - wedded husband?"

"I – do," I said, still bouncing. I let out a squeal of excitement and jumped a little higher than before, my hair flying all around my face.

Since we had gotten the rings during our wedding on the plane, we skipped that part of the ceremony, jumping right ahead and over to Chad.

"Do you – Chad Dylan – Cooper, take Sonny – Munroe to be your – lawfully wedded – wife?"

"I – do," Chad answered, and I turned in midair to face him straight on.

"Then – you may – now kiss the – bride," Frank concluded, shutting his Bible with as much fervour as he had the first time he did this.

Chad and I bounced over to each other and kissed, jumping up and down in unison. When we finally pulled away, I smiled bashfully at him and continued to bounce around, striking poses in the air. Half of the energy that I had came from the excitement of getting married for a second time; the other half was just all of the adrenaline from bouncing for so long.

I heard Tawni call my name and I bounced over to the edge of the castle before jumping off and landing neatly on the sand. "Yeah, Tawn?"

"Sorry that it wasn't a beach wedding like I told you it was. I was so sure, but I guess that Chad can be unpredictable, huh?"

I nodded my head and looked over at him, bouncing around like a madman. I blew him a kiss and then turned to Tawni again. "But this was fun. I actually enjoyed it. Listen Tawn, you should come and bounce with us too, okay?"

I didn't wait for an answer. Instead, I just ran back over to the bouncy castle and launched myself up, landing safely in the centre of the area. As I made my way back over to Chad, a thought struck me and I stopped for a moment. I had to record what B stood for in the wedding planner, to preserve all of the memories.

I almost bounced down again and ran back to the hotel, but the hypnotic rhythm of the bounce captured me in a trance that was too strong to be broken. As much as I wanted to record the wedding, I could do it later.

Right now, I just wanted to bounce some more.

* * *

**And remember guys, two things.**

**One: Reviews are awesome! Like really, they are.**

**Two: Keep sending in your ideas! 26 is a pretty big number, don't you think?**


	5. C is for Coral Reef

**Did this update feel as long to you guys as it did to me? Because I feel like it took me a super long time to post it up. But that could just be me.**

**Anyways, this chapter is the real reason why I had chosen to make the casts have the promotional trip to Australia. This was what I had planned from the very beginning, which is why this chapter isn't dedicated to anyone in particular.**

**But umm..I just wanted to tell you guys that I am going to be super busy with school and everything, so updates might come much slower than I'm used to posting them. So I apologize in advance. And I promise that I'll try to write whenever I have free time, but I don't think that it's going to be happening anytime soon.**

**Oh, and those board thingies in this chapter? If you saw **The Last Song**, then it's the thing that Will used to talk to Ronnie while he was swimming at the aquarium. I wasn't sure what it was called.  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

* * *

Chapter 5

_C is for Coral Reef_

* * *

The midday sunlight streamed through the window, hitting me squarely in my face. I brought one hand up from its position on the bed to shield my eyes from the harsh glare, my mouth pulled downward in a frown. Getting bombarded with UV rays wasn't exactly the most inviting way to be awakened, and it was only made worse by my throbbing headache.

Next to me, Chad's sleeping form shifted slightly, his hand curled into a fist on his pillow. His blonde hair was falling boyishly over his forehead, and I resisted the urge to gently brush it away with the back of my hand. Instead, I sat up and stretched my arms over my head, stifling a yawn.

With a start, I remembered what I was wearing – or lack thereof – and grabbed for my terry bathrobe that was hanging off of the hook next to the bed. I got to my feet and shrugged into its warm embrace, tying the fraying belt tightly as I crossed the bedroom. The glass door that led out to the balcony was already unlocked, so I pushed it aside and stepped out onto the terrace, the tiles chilling the bottoms of my bare feet.

My headache subsided instantly, dulling to an incessant thrumming as opposed to the original pounding. With one more deep breath of the salty sea air, even the thrumming stopped, and I sighed in relief. I stared out at the ocean, admiring the way the blue- green waves crashed against the sandy shore. A cool breeze rifled through my hair, making my muscles uncoil as it hit my skin.

All of the anxiety that I had been feeling since I woke up was starting to fade away, but no matter what I did, it wouldn't be gone completely. I couldn't help it; I wasn't able to go back in time and stop what I'd done. And I didn't regret it, not one bit. Honestly, it had seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Last night, I had broken my _no honeymoon_ rule with Chad. I had just been so hyped up because of all of the bouncing, and I was so happy that Chad had even thought of that as one of his wedding ideas, and when we got back to the hotel room, I got a little carried away. And even though he kept asking me if I was sure that I wanted to do it, I kept insisting that I was ready. He was my fiancé, after all, and I was twenty years old.

But now, I part of me couldn't help feeling like we should have waited until our real, official marriage. Like the first time that we had sex should have been during our real honeymoon on a Caribbean island. And although it was an extremely small part (probably only about 4% of my brain felt this way), it was still there, nagging my other thoughts and bringing a general downer on my whole mood.

I slipped my hand into my bathrobe pocket and pulled out my cell phone, thanking my lucky stars that I had remembered to put it in my pocket before coming out onto the porch this morning. I punched in Tawni's number and raised the phone up to my ear, tapping my fingers nervously against the railing.

This wasn't exactly news that I wanted to tell her over the phone, but I knew that if we met up later, our whole cast would be joining us, and I didn't really want an audience. Sending her a text message wasn't an option either, because this wasn't something that could be confessed in writing. It was either face to face, or nothing.

I took a fleeting glance at the time and my mouth dropped open in shock. How could it be noon already? How could both of us have slept in so late today, and why didn't any of our friends come and wake us up? No wonder the beach below was buzzing with excitement; it was a prime sun tanning hour.

A pair of hands took a hold of my waist from behind, startling me out of my thoughts. A moment later, Chad kissed the top of my head and murmured, "Good morning, Sonny."

My cheeks warmed up as I remembered what we had done last night, and I ducked my head. "Morning," I mumbled, leaning my elbow against the railing. I rested my chin in my hand and stared thoughtfully out at the ocean, my mind whirling.

I loved Chad. I loved him with all of my heart, all of my soul, every fibre of my very being. But right now, I was having a little bit of trouble looking him in the eye. A fact which, it seemed, he noticed. Wordlessly, he took me by the hand and led me over to the set of patio chairs. He sat down in one of them and pulled me onto his lap, looping his arms loosely around my middle.

"Sonny," he said quietly, touching my neck softly with his fingertips.

Involuntarily, I turned to face him. His blue eyes were searching my face, trying to find an answer to the unspoken question between us. I shook my head, causing my hair to fall over into my face, but I made no move to push it away. Instead, I leaned against his bare chest and let out a breath, feeling my body sag into his.

"I don't," I whispered, keeping my eyes trained on the horizon line ahead.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Sonny..."

"_I'm sure!"_ I whipped my head around to face him, my eyes shining fiercely. "It was the best night of my life, and I don't know why I'm acting like this, and I don't regret it. Not at all. I wouldn't change it for anything, and I'm glad that we did it. I really am! I just...I don't know why I'm acting this way," I said again, quieter this time. I hadn't even realized that I was crying until he wiped the saltwater from my cheek, and I stared at the teardrop in horror.

"Sonny, it's okay," Chad said, moving the pad of his thumb over the last of my tears. "Maybe it's PMS or something."

I shook my head. "I really hope that it's not."

He looked quizzically at me and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, did I have to spell it out for him? Boys could be so stupid sometimes. "Because if it were PMS, then there would be the possibility of getting pregnant. And I don't want to be the girl who gets pregnant on her first time having sex; how cliché is that?" I tried to quip, but the joke fell flat.

Chad just looked at me silently, his eyes unwavering. I could tell that he was concerned about me, but he had nothing to worry about. I smiled wanly at him and pressed a kiss against his lips, pulling away before he could respond.

"I love you," I told him solemnly, unwrapping his arms from my waist. I intertwined our fingers together and led him back into our bedroom, my steps slow and deliberate. He changed his pace to match mine accordingly, and although he thought that he was being sneaky, I saw the worried glances that he kept shooting in my direction.

I lowered myself onto the bed and swung my legs up so that they were stretched out in front of me. Chad took his place on the bed to my left, his eyes never leaving my face. A little crease was carved out between his eyebrows, and I gently traced one finger over the folds of skin until they smoothed away.

"Sonny, what's wrong?" he asked bluntly, catching my hand in his as I began to pull it away. He held it firmly and moved it to his heart, anchoring it with his own. I tried to look away, but he grasped my chin and made it impossible for me to move. His eyes bore into mine, the blue so vivid that I couldn't tear my gaze away, even if I was able to. "Tell me."

"Nothing's wrong," I insisted, closing my eyes. When I opened them again, I continued, "I'm just a little tired, that's all. But really, truly, madly, deeply, nothing is wrong."

He eyed me doubtfully for a second, so I pressed another kiss against his lips, lingering longer this time around. When I had finally detached myself from him, all of the worry that had been etched on his face was erased, and I leapt off of the bed.

"I'm going to go and take a bath," I announced, reverting to my old, cheery self. It was a drastic 180 from my previous mood, but the expression on Chad's face after I had kissed him had snapped me out of my funk. Because of course I loved him (which I already knew, but reassurance was always nice), and of course he loved me. And the night before had just been our time, nothing more to it. I had nothing to be depressed over, because I had the most amazing fiancé in the world, was living out my dream and was currently, on vacation in Australia.

If you took all of that into consideration, I was pretty lucky, wasn't I?

I grabbed the first outfit that I could find (which coincidentally was pretty cute – a black dress with a full skirt and a wide blue band around the waist) and went to the bathroom that we shared, locking the door behind me. I had washed my hair the day before, and I didn't want it to dry out, so I decided not to wash it now. I wasn't about to go outside with wet hair, and I wasn't in the mood to blow dry today.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I found Chad sitting on the bed with his back to me, the room phone pressed against his ear. The wooden door banged against the wall, and he turned around to face me, flashing me a quick smile before he became all business once again. His eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully for a second, as if he wasn't pleased with what he was hearing.

"Is that the absolute earliest?" he asked, running one hand through his hair.

I flicked my ponytail over my shoulder and sat down next to him, resting my head against his shoulder. Whatever the person on the other end of the line seemed to be saying, Chad was agreeing with, because I could feel his head bobbing in a nod. I tilted my head upwards and peered at him questioningly, but he ignored my nosiness.

"Alright then, thanks. A week from tomorrow, under Cooper."

He hung up the phone and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me securely against his body. Before I could even react, he pulled me down on the bed so that I was lying next to him, using his chest as a pillow. He lifted his free arm and rested it behind his head.

"Who were you talking to on the phone?" I asked, tracing my name on his abs. My fingernail caught on his T-shirt, momentarily stopping me from finishing the word. "Chad?"

He reached over me and flattened my hand against his stomach, enfolding my fingers in his own. "It was nothing," he said, lightly batting at my ponytail with his index finger. I pulled away and he sat up, stretching his arms over his head. "I should go and bathe. After I'm done, we should go out for breakfast, right?"

I nodded, a little bit miffed that he had just brushed off my question.

Chad gathered his clothes and headed towards the bathroom. He stopped right underneath the threshold and turned back to look at me, his eyes twinkling. "And by the way, Munroe? Our next wedding is a week from tomorrow."

* * *

After Chad finished bathing, we went out to a quaint little cafe for breakfast. Our table was outside on the sidewalk, an umbrella shading us from the sweltering sun. I had long since abandoned the cardigan that I had thrown on over my dress, and it now hung over the back of my chair, blowing gently in the slight breeze.

The waitress left us alone with our menus for a couple of minutes before reappearing, a paper and pen gripped in her hands. She flashed a bright smile at us before clearing her throat. "G'day! What'll you two have for brekkie?" she asked, flipping a lock of her hair over her shoulder. This action exposed her nametag, where _Aisha_ was typed in sparkly letters. "Now, it's my first day on the job, so I'll try not to make a blue."

Chad and I exchanged a glance, eyebrows raised. Aisha must have noticed our confused expressions, because she said after a moment, "Make a mistake. Sorry, my bad."

I smiled at her and ran my finger down the list of breakfast dishes, murmuring them quietly underneath my breath. All of the food looked amazing, and I had no idea what I wanted to eat. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try any Australian food right now, because even though it sounded delicious, I wasn't sure if I could stomach it. I was just going to have to stick with the normal, usual American food that I knew and loved.

Aisha was looking at me, he pen poised over her paper and I realized with a start that Chad must have already ordered while I was lost in my thoughts. I lifted one corner of my mouth in a self-conscious smile and picked an item at random. "I'll have the scrambled eggs and sausage links, please."

She nodded and stuck our menus underneath her arms before heading back inside. Chad reached across the table and took my hand, playing absentmindedly with my fingers as he spoke. "After breakfast, I need to go and get some stuff ready for our wedding next week."

Aisha, who had come back with our glasses of water, gasped. "You guys are getting married? Aww, that is so adorable! Wait a second...I thought you two looked familiar! You're Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe, aren't you?"

Chad's eyes narrowed as he took a sip of his drink. "Wait a minute...what happened to your Australian accent?" he asked after he swallowed.

He did have a point. The Aisha that I had met before had spoken with a very strong Australian accent, even throwing in some slang words here and there. However, this Aisha had a bit of a Southern twinge to her words. She blushed all the way to the coppery roots of her corkscrew curls and looked down, twirling the pen over her fingers.

"I just put on that accent so that people will think that I'm Australian," she confessed in a hushed tone, the blush fading. "If I'm local, they always seem to go easier on me, although I have no idea why. I'm actually from Tennessee, but don't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Deal. And please don't draw any extra attention to us," I asked, folding my hands on the granite tabletop. "We just want a nice quiet breakfast – or, uh, brunch."

She stuck one finger up in the air, her eyes wide. She turned on her heel and dashed back inside, her heels clattering against the floor. A moment later, she came back to our table, her arms laden with plates of food, which she then placed in front of us. After her hands were empty, she smoothed down her apron and smiled at us. "There you go, sorry for the wait. So...you guys are getting married?"

"Yup," I answered, sticking a forkful of piping hot eggs into my mouth. They were so hot that they burnt the roof of my mouth, and I swallowed them quickly to avoid any further pain. I winced, and across the table, Chad laughed.

"This is so exciting!" Aisha squealed, her sparkly fingernails hitting against each other. "If you don't mind my asking, what's your wedding going to be like?"

I pushed away my now empty plate and wiped my fingers on a napkin. "Well, I can't really say. Chad is planning the whole thing, and he won't tell me. All I know is that it's a week from tomorrow."

"Speaking of," Chad said, glancing at his watch. "I have to go and meet with Frank and some of the other people who are helping me with this wedding. I'll see you back at the hotel, alright Sonny?"

I nodded and leaned forward to kiss him, ignoring the blinding smile that was lighting up Aisha's face. He nodded at the waitress and then walked down the sidewalk, dialling a number on his cell phone and raising it to his ear as he left. I, in turn, pulled my own cell out of my purse and punched in a quick text message to Tawni, asking her to meet me here.

"Aisha? I just asked my friend to come down to the cafe, and I was wondering if we could get two slices of chocolate cream pie? And also two coffees, both with cream and sugar?"

The girl nodded so fast that I was afraid her head would fly off. Then, without a word, she turned and ran back inside, her impossibly high heels no discomfort at all. While she was getting our dessert ready, Tawni strolled down the sidewalk, her bright yellow purse dangling from the crook of her elbow. She saw me through her shades and waved, a smile lighting up her features.

"Hey Sonny!" she cried, strutting over to my table. She lowered herself into the chair that Chad had previously occupied and rested her hands on the table, her face cradled in her palm. "What did you want to tell me?"

Just then, Aisha reappeared, the heavenly looking dessert slices in her hands. When she saw Tawni Hart sitting down at the table, her mouth dropped open, but thankfully, she made no noise other than a strangled sounding squeak. Without a word, she placed the dessert in front of us and then ran away, checking over her shoulder at us every two seconds.

Once she was gone, I dug into my piece of pie, popping a mound of whipped cream into my mouth. "Tawni, I'm not exactly sure how to say this, but last night...well, me and Chad kind of broke my _no honeymoon_ rule," I said, my voice lowering with each word. I could feel my face flaming, and dared to take a peek at my best friend's face.

Her mouth was practically brushing against the tabletop, her half-eaten slice of pie forgotten. "Really?"

I nodded and focused on plunking another dollop of the cream in the centre of my tongue.

"Oh my God, how was it?"

As I told Tawni all of the gory details, her facial expression flittered from shock to disbelief and then to amazement. Her cheeks were turning slightly rosy, but I wasn't sure if it was excitement or embarrassment. When I was finished, she dramatically raised a hand to her forehead and threw her head back. Her blonde curls trailed down her back, grazing the bottom of her shoulder blades, and a guy a few tables down from us smiled at her appreciatively. She seemed to have this affect on men all around the world, it seemed.

"Oh, and one more thing," I added, wiping off some of the chocolate flavoured cream with my index finger and licking it off. "Chad said that a week from tomorrow is our next wedding."

"C, right?"

I nodded my head and clanged my spoon against the rim of my coffee mug. "Yup. Last wedding we had was B for Bouncy Castle. So the upcoming ceremony is C, and I honestly have no idea what it could be. And I'd rather not try to guess again, because last time we did that, it worked so well," I said sarcastically, eyeing Tawni.

"Hey, it was an honest mistake!" she cried, raising her arms in defence.

I chuckled. "I know, Tawn, I was just kidding. But actually, I'm really excited."

Tawni inspected her nails. "I would be too," she commented dryly. "By the way, did you write down the bouncy castle in the wedding planner that I got you?"

I nodded again. "Just this morning, while Chad was in the shower."

She feigned shock. "You mean you didn't join him?"

"Ha ha," I said sardonically, removing my sweater from the chair behind me. I dropped a wad of cash onto the table and motioned for Tawni to follow me as I walked down the sidewalk, my handbag hanging over my shoulder. "Anyways, _the point is_, yes, I did record it. And I'm excited for the wedding next week. I wonder what it is."

Tawni ran her fingers over the long chain that she wore around her neck. "If the first two weddings were any indication, Sonny, then I think that the next 24 weddings will all be amazing."

* * *

The next week passed by in a blur, a mix of shopping, interviews and dates with Chad. Before I knew it, he was blindfolding me and leading me to a limo that he had rented, guiding me by my wrist. I had thrown on jeans and a baggy sweatshirt that had once belonged to Chad; not exactly my outfit of choice, but he had insisted.

"Chad, where are you taking me?" I whined, wriggling around in my seat. I appreciated the effort, and after everything, the blindfold really was romantic. But not being able to see where I was going made me uncomfortable, so I clawed at the bandana that was covering my eyes. "And can I take this off now?"

"Only if you promise to put it back on before we leave the limo," he bargained, and with a grateful sigh I took it off. "And to answer your first question, I'm not going to tell you where we're going. When we get there, we'll get there, and you'll see then, ok?"

I pouted but obliged, turning my frown into a sultry smile. "Cha-ad," I sang, scooching over closer to him. I ran one hand across his shoulders. "You know I love you, right?"

"Who doesn't?" he said cockily, flicking his hair.

I rolled my eyes, but before I could finish my pleas, the limo stopped. Chad quickly retied the bandana around my face and led me out of the limo. I felt sand squish beneath my flip flops, and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. After what seemed like forever, Chad told me that I could take off the blindfold and I eagerly ripped the cloth away from my eyes.

I was met with the sight of the beach.

"Chad...what are we doing?" I asked, turning to look at him. My breath caught in my throat when I realized that he was stripping out of his clothes. Instead of skin, though, I caught sight of a wetsuit plastered to his body.

"**C is for Coral Reef**," he said by of explanation. He threw me a wetsuit and pointed to a hut of changing rooms further up the beach. "You can go and change up there. And don't worry about people hassling you, because I rented this whole beach out for the afternoon. It's just you and me."

"What about Tawni and the others? Are they going to be here too?"

Chad shook his head. "Nope, this time it's just the two of us. Now go and change, Sonny, so that we can go on down."

I trudged up to the changing rooms and peeled off my clothes, replacing it with the white wet suit that Chad had handed to me. I realized that his own had been black; traditional wedding colours. I tied my hair back into a bun and, after bundling my clothes up into a pile, headed back down the beach.

"Chad, I'm ready!" I called out, spreading my arms wide to show him my outfit.

My fiancé took one look at me and then grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a medium sized boat that was docked up on the beach. A cheerful looking man was manning the steering wheel, and he tipped his hat when he saw me approaching.

"Is this your wifey, Chad?" he boomed out in his gruff voice. "You're right; she is one beaut of a woman."

Both Chad and I blushed. "Thank you...err – Captain. And hey Frank," I said, noticing the balding man sitting down on the deck. He looked pale and nervous, but his Bible was there in his hands, already open to the specific page and covered in a paper protector. He waved at me, and then we were off.

The salty sea air hit my face as we sped through the open ocean, the seagulls cawing overhead. The boat suddenly lurched to a stop and then Chad was at my side, loading an oxygen tank up onto my back. He was already wearing one, as was Frank. Captain Nathan looked on, smoking a cigar and chewing on his lip.

"Uh, Chad, what are we doing?" I asked nervously, cringing as the goggles worked their way onto my head.

"Scuba diving," he grunted, trying to wrestle with the oxygen tank. It finally sat down fine against my back and he breathed a sigh of relief. "We're going to scuba dive down to the coral reef, and then get married there. This head," he tapped his finger against his temple. "This head thinks of everything."

I giggled and then brought the mouthpiece between my lips. I was a little nervous, seeing as I had never been as far out to sea as I was now. But I was excited, and up for anything, so I lowered my goggles over my eyes and leaned back into the water. With a splash, I was among the fishes. A second later, Chad and Frank both joined us.

Captain Nathan waved to us and pointed to the South, which I assume was the direction of the coral reef. I must have been correct, because Chad grabbed my hand and started to swim farther and farther beneath the water. I swam alongside him, surprisingly comfortable down below.

Everything under the water was much clearer than the things above ground. And the pictures that you see all over the internet and on TV did not do the natural wonder any justice at all. The fish were beautiful and full of life, swimming around between the coral. All of the colours were so vibrant that I was immediately reminded of _Finding Nemo_.

I started to tread water, just looking around me and soaking the whole sight in. I was amazed at how much natural beauty was hidden underneath the surface of the water. Chad stopped next to me and shot me a quizzical look, bubbles circling his head like a halo. I loosely gestured to the scenery and made the shape of a heart with my thumb and index fingers.

The corners of Chad's eyes crinkled beneath his goggles and he produced a plastic looking board from the pack behind his back. He handed it over to me and started to swim towards Frank, who had stopped moving and was waiting for us. He beckoned for me to follow and I did, kicking my legs powerfully behind me.

Frank had one of the colourful boards too, only his was red. Once Chad and I were settled across from each other and in front of him, he took out an object that looked like a pen and scribbled across his board. Then he turned it around to reveal extremely small and almost illegible writing.

"_We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two young souls, Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe. If anyone wishes to object to this union of holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."_

Since no one besides Chad and myself were present, we didn't even wait for a moment before Frank went on. He wiped the board clean and continued to write furiously across the board once more. He then again flipped it to face us, and almost involuntarily, a huge smile lit up my face.

"_Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawful wedded husband?"_

"_I do," _I wrote down quickly. I showed it to Frank and Chad, and then we proceeded with the ceremony.

"_Do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

"_I do."_

Since we were underwater, and our mouths were occupied by our breathing devices, we weren't exactly able to kiss. Instead we swam side by side all through the coral reef, making faces at all of the fishes. After what seemed like hours, Chad grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him as we went up for air. As soon as we broke the surface of the water and I raised my goggles up to the crown of my head, Chad hooked one finger through the loop of my breathing tube and popped it out of my mouth. I barely had time to take a real, deep breath before he crashed his lips down to mine, the flavour of salt sending my taste buds into overdrive.

"That was our wedding kiss," he whispered raggedly after he pulled away.

I leaned my forehead against his and bit back the smile that was in danger of taking over my whole face. "You know, if every wedding that we have ends with a kiss like that, then I think that I might like this bet," I quipped playfully, gnawing on my lip.

Our moment was interrupted by Captain Nathan calling out to us, his hands waving wildly over his head. "Hey! We should be setting sail back to shore now!"

Frank popped up next to us and shook the mouthpiece free, relief painted across his face. "Oh thank the Lord," he said melodramatically before swimming towards the ship. "I thought that this wedding would never end. I _hate_ swimming!"

I glanced over at Chad. "He hates swimming?"

"Seems like," Chad shrugged. He laced our fingers together and we headed back to the boat, perfectly in synch with each other.

"And you got him to do a coral reef wedding for us?"

He pulled himself up onto the deck of the boat and then reached a hand down to help me aboard. I gratefully grasped it and he weaved me onto the deck, his wet hair letting loose a spray of water droplets. "Sonny, I wanted this to be memorable for you. Besides, as you know, CDC can be _very _persuasive."

I dropped the pair of goggles next to me on the bench and sighed. "This was amazing," I said truthfully. "And even though I feel a little bad about making Frank go swimming, I have to admit: it was worth it."

Chad sat next to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. "Hey, anything for you, Munroe."

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and smiled. Captain Nathan was steering the boat towards the beach, and overhead, the sun was setting, casting a golden and pink hue over the water. As we got closer to shore, Chad and I sat side by side, enjoying the view together. I rested my head against his damp chest and let out a sigh of contentment. This wedding had been spectacular.

And I already couldn't wait until the next one.

* * *

**I feel like this doesn't make up for my lack of update, so I'm sorry!**

**But please review...it'll make my day, and honestly, my days need a making these next few weeks. I predict horribleness.**

**Also, I'm please taking suggestions for letters E and F. I have nothing planned exactly for those two letters so far, so if I get anymore ideas, I'll look at all of them and try to see what works in best with my story.**

**Thank you!**


	6. D is for Disney

**I am the worst in the world! I'm so sorry guys, but I was super busy with a lot of schoolwork and stuff. But I'm on summer now, I can just write write write!**

**I know that you guys have been waiting a long time for this one, so I'm not going to waste your time with a long Author's Note haha.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC or _Aladdin_**

* * *

Chapter 6

_D is for Disney_

Dedicated to AkinaA

* * *

I stepped back and brushed the palm of my hand across my forehead as I surveyed the bedroom. Everything seemed to be in order – my clothes were hanging in the closet, my knick-knacks were decorating the shelves and my old stuffed cow, Clarabelle, was perched neatly atop the bed; _my _bed. The only thing that looked as if it were out of place in the whole room was the old cardboard box that was sitting next to my feet, and I wasted no time in hoisting it up and balancing it against my hip. On my way out of the room, I flicked the light switch and my room instantly darkened.

I bounded down the stairs, humming happily under my breath. Once I reached the foot of the staircase, I readjusted my grip on the cardboard box and continued on my way to the kitchen, where I was to dispose of the material. Just before I crossed the threshold into the kitchen, I stopped and looked at my reflection in the mirror across the hall, still amazed at how different I looked.

My skin, which had been pale prior to the promotional trip to Australia, was now a golden brown; the product of spending countless days sunbathing on the beach. To go with my new skin tone, I had decided to darken my hair a bit, and now it was a rich ebony, curling around my shoulders delicately.

Chad appeared next to me in the mirror, and I was so startled that I almost dropped the box. He laughed and gently pried it from my fingers, holding it effortlessly, despite the fact that it was full of papers and fliers. "What's all this?" he asked, looking down at the array of coloured paper.

"Just trash that I found when I was unpacking," I answered, grabbing one of his hands and lacing our fingers together. He followed me into the kitchen and plopped the box down in front of his recycling bin, shoving at it with his foot so that it wasn't in the way. Then he sat down in one of the dining table chairs and rested his head against the tabletop.

I took the seat next to him and covered his outstretched hand with my own, very gently curling my fingers over his. "Chad?" I murmured, my lips close to his ear. His golden hair was grazing the nape of his neck and I had to bite back the urge to brush it away.

"Hmmm?"

I dropped my head against his and sighed in contentment as we fit perfectly together, like pieces of a children's' jigsaw puzzle. "Thank you for letting me stay here," I whispered before turning my head a fraction and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

His head shot up so fast that I nearly lost my balance, but luckily, he caught me. I turned to look at him, bewilderment painted across my features, only to find that his eyes mirrored my expression. "What do you mean, thanks for letting you stay here?" he asked, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Sonny, we're getting married. I'm not letting you stay here; it's not a temporary thing. We're living together now, and we will be for the rest of our lives."

"Sorry," I looked down at the tabletop, up at the clock; anywhere to avoid Chad's ocean blue gaze. The sound of his laughter made me turn to him automatically, despite my embarrassment. "What's so funny?"

"Sonny, you don't have to apologize. What is up with you lately, Munroe?"

I shook my head and pressed my cheek against the cool granite of the table. "I guess I've just been tired lately. I mean, we got back from Australia only two weeks ago, and ever since we've been back, I've moved out of my house and into a new one, done a live taping of So Random! and also written three sketches. All while battling with a horrible case of jet lag."

Chad gingerly patted my head and, before I even knew what was going on, scooped me up in his arms, bridal style. My hands automatically wound themselves around his neck, and I stared in shock as Chad carried me up the stairs, two at a time.

"C-Chad...what are you doing?" I sputtered, trying to process all of this information. When I saw that he was headed to my bedroom, I realized that he was taking me to go and rest, and I fit my head into the crook of his neck. I was perfectly comfortable, and didn't even notice that we had arrived in my bedroom until Chad gently lowered me onto my Queen sized bed.

I snuggled into my pillows and turn onto my side so that I was facing where Chad was perched on my bed. I smiled at him and stifled a yawn, bringing my hand up to my face to block my mouth. When we had come back from Australia and moved in together, we had both decided that it would be best for me to have my own room. That way, I would have my own space to relax in when I was tired, or mope in when I was having a bad day. And of course, as Chad was quick to add, I would be able to keep my comedy away from his drama.

But just because we were in separate rooms now didn't mean that we would be like that forever. We had talked it over and thought that after we actually got married for real – after our bet was finished and forgotten – then we would move into the master bedroom together. And until such a time, we could always sleep in each others' room if need be.

Chad smiled at me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He made a motion to get off of the bed, but I grabbed his hand and tugged him back, making him lose his balance in the process. He stumbled slightly before straightening himself up. Then he turned to look at me quizzically.

"Stay with me?" I asked sheepishly, trying to look cute.

He chuckled softly and lay down on the pillow next to me, so that we were face to face. "Good night, Sonny," he said quietly. He kissed my forehead again and I smiled wanly at him.

"Night Chad," I murmured back, already halfway asleep. The last thing I remember was him brushing a strand of hair away from my face, and then I was floating in dreamland.

* * *

I stuck the last piece of scrambled eggs into my mouth and extracted the metal fork from between my lips as I chewed and swallowed. Across the table from me, Chad raised one eyebrow and regarded me, waiting patiently for the verdict.

"We-ell," I said in a sing-song voice, enjoying the slight panic that sprang into his eyes. I paused, trying to hold out on him for as long as I possibly could. I wasn't one for drama, but if being dramatic provided me with comedy, then I was all for it. Finally, I decided to have mercy on my fiancé, and I brightened my face with the biggest smile that I could muster. "Actually, Chad, it's really good. First the pancakes and now this? How come you never told me that you could cook?"

For the first time in his life, Chad was modest. "I didn't think that it was that important. Cooking isn't something that's particularly hard, is it? I mean, it seems to me like everyone can do it."

I shook my head. "Actually, it's not. I have this one Uncle, back in Wisconsin, who can't even make a grilled cheese sandwich right. He puts the butter face down on the cheese, and he takes it out of the griller before it even melts properly. It's a skill, not a born talent."

He nodded his head, but didn't say anything. On a regular day, he would have made fun of my little anecdote, but today he didn't even bat an eyelid. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach and I cocked my head to the side, studying him. "What's wrong, Chad?"

He completely ignored my question, instead firing back one of his own. "Hey, what's your favourite Disney movie?"

I blinked in surprise. "What?"

"What's your favourite Disney movie? And I don't mean any of the crappy DCOMS or whatever they're called. Disney classics; what's your favourite Disney classic?"

I tapped one finger to my chin thoughtfully, scenes from each of the man 6 Disney classics reeling through my head. I saw Ariel turning back into a human at the end of the movie, Snow White waking up and Aurora pricking her finger on the spindle. I saw Belle and the Beast dancing, the glass slipper perfectly fitting on Cinderella's foot and Jasmine and Aladdin flying through the air while singing a duet. Faster and faster these images spun until they all mixed together in a blur of colour. Then that blur of colour morphed into a picture of the main couple, and I felt a grin stretch across my face.

"_Beauty and the Beast_," I answered, nodding my head to affirm my statement.

Chad frowned, and his brows furrowed together so low that I was afraid he was going to hurt himself. After what seemed like ages, he looked up at me again. "What's your second favourite?"

"_Aladdin. _Why are you asking me these random questions?"

He shrugged and stood up from the table, gathering the plates in his hands. "No reason," he answered over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen. The sound of the dishes hitting the sides of the sink filled my ears, and two seconds later, Chad reappeared. "Don't worry about it. Now, come on, we have to get ready for work."

I followed him wordlessly back upstairs, trying to figure out what he possibly could have needed that information for. Coming up short, I decided to take a break and get in the shower instead. Maybe the hot water will help to loosen up my imaginative thinking – I do think up my best sketches while shampooing my hair.

I carried my yellow and orange polka dot dress into the bathroom and shut it with a faint _click_, making sure to twist the lock at the back of the doorknob. When I was still living with my mother, if I accidentally forgot to lock the door it was no big deal. But now that I was living with Chad, I had to take extra precautions. Just because we had slept together didn't mean that I wanted him walking in on me in the bathroom any old time.

I took a long, hot shower and even shampooed my hair twice, but I still couldn't come up with any reason as to why Chad would bring up my favourite Disney classics. I quickly straightened my hair, shimmied into my dress and then unlocked the door, releasing puffs of steam that had formed in the bathroom.

Chad surprised me by standing right outside the bathroom door, leaning against the wall. His head was tilted backwards, and his eyes were trained on the ceiling overhead and even from the slight distance I could tell that he was deep in thought. When I called out his name, he jumped, but tried to walk it off by coolly brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"What are you doing?" I giggled, slinging my used towel over my shoulder. I traipsed into my bedroom and hung the damp towel on the hook on the back of my door. Then I went into my closet and pulled out my pair of ankle high, black leather boots, which I quickly slid my feet into. I grabbed my purse from my closet doorknob and turned around, ready to walk out into the hallway.

I had left Chad outside of the bathroom, and that was fully where I had expected to find him. This was why, when I pivoted on my heel, I was surprised to see him lounging on my bed, his face still upturned to the ceiling.

"Ah!" I squeaked out, drawing my hands closer to my chest. "Chad! What are you doing?"

For the second time for the morning, he ignored my question. Instead, he turned to look at me, the corner of his mouth tilted up into a little smirk. His eyes were sparkling, and I just knew that whatever problem that had been on his mind before was now solved, just like that.

And I, on the other hand, still didn't know what the Disney classic question was about.

He stood up and straightened his clothes, smoothing down the front of his shirt with his palms. "How about during our lunch break, you and I go out to eat somewhere, okay?"

I blinked and tilted my head to the side. I had fashioned my hair into a ponytail while in the bathroom, and the whole thing slid to the side, occasionally brushing along my cheekbone. "Oh, um, sure. That'll be great."

He smiled and grabbed my hand. "I'll meet you in the Prop House at 11 o'clock, alright?"

I nodded and let him pull me downstairs. "Can't wait."

* * *

"That was a great sketch, you guys," Marshall said, clapping. He stepped onto our stage and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. "It's just so great to have you all back!" He enveloped us all in a huge group hug and squeezed tightly. Tawni's shoulder dug into my neck and I fought to get away, squirming until Marshall released his hold. No one would think that he would have such a vice-like grip, but he did.

"Thanks Marshall!" Tawni chirped. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and strutted away from the stage, her curls glistening in the light. When she realized that I wasn't following her, she stopped and looked back at me. "Sonny, aren't you coming?"

I shook my head and checked the time on my phone; 10:54. "Sorry Tawn, but I'm not eating lunch with you guys today. Me and Chad are going out. But I'll see you when we get back, okay?"

She shrugged and continued on her way to the commissary, seemingly unconcerned by the soft rejection. I knew her well enough to notice, however, the tiny bit that her shoulders sagged, and the way that her steps weren't bouncy anymore. As much as she pretended to care less, I knew that I was actually her best friend, just like she was mine.

I was on my way to the Prop House when the sound of a cowbell emanated from my skirt pocket, scaring me half to death. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, my face brightening when I saw that it was a text from Chad. As soon as I opened it and read the first few words though, my expression fell.

_Sonny – can't make it for lunch today. Rain check? Love you, CDC_

With a sigh, I turned around and started towards the commissary. "Looks like I'll have lunch with the guys after all," I said glumly, staring at the floor. Not that I would ever hold it against him, but I was upset that Chad had cancelled our plans at the last minute; I had really been looking forward to our date.

I walked through the commissary doors and tried to locate Tawni among all of the people. Surprisingly enough, she was nowhere to be found. The rest of my cast mates were all seated around a table, sharing a pizza and laughing. I strolled up to them and took a seat in the empty chair next to Zora. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Oh, hey Sonny!" Nico cried, pulling the slice of pizza that he was munching on away from his face. A thin string of melted cheese stretched from his lips to the pizza slice in his hand and he grinned. "Oooh, melted cheese! We got this pie ten minutes ago and it's _still_ piping hot!"

Grady grabbed the last slice from the box in the centre of the table and stuck it under his nose, inhaling deeply. "Mmm...smell that cheesy goodness!"

I grimaced and pushed my chair back, away from where the best friends were gorging on the pizza. Zora was eating her pizza like a _human being_, so I turned to her and posed my question. "Hey, Zor, where did Tawni go?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "She said something about Joe taking her out for some last minute plans, and then she just disappeared."

I furrowed my eyebrows. She hadn't said anything about going out with Joe when we had been talking five minutes ago. And I knew that JONAS was still filming now and not on lunch break yet, because the red light on flashing outside of their studio. Something about the story didn't add up.

But since both Tawni and Chad were busy for lunch, I decided to go down to the Starbucks a few blocks down and get a cappuccino. Or more specifically, an ice cappuccino to cool me down on such a hot day. I quickly got out of my seat, bid my friends farewell and left to go and get my drink. Ever since Chad had introduced me to the coffee drinks in Starbucks when we had first started dating, I had become addicted. Actually, when I was younger, I had never liked coffee; like, at all. But now I couldn't have enough, especially the Starbucks brews.

The coffeehouse was relatively quiet, and after taking a couple of pictures and signing a few autographs I stepped outside, armed with a grande hot chocolate cappuccino, extra whipped cream. The mound of white cream was melting underneath the hot sun, and I dipped one finger in and coated it in the treat before popping it into my mouth, licking it clean. As much as I loved the coffee, nothing in the world tasted better to me than whipped cream did. Give me a spoon and a bucket of Cool Whip and I'll be a happy girl.

I was about to turn the corner when I caught a glimpse of something that made me stop dead in my tracks. At the DVD rental store across the road, a boy and a girl were laughing heartily, the girl's hand resting against the boy's forearm. They were both blonde, and even though the girl had a giant pair of sunglasses on, I knew that it was Tawni. I was wondering why the guy she was with wasn't Joe, when all of a sudden he tossed his head to the side, trying to get his bangs out of his eyes.

I had only ever seen one guy do that: Chad Dylan Cooper.

Hurt gripped my heart and squeezed so hard that I was afraid it would pop. Obviously, Tawni wasn't with Joe, and Chad had broken our date just so that he could meet with my best friend. I felt like I was dropped headfirst into a movie cliché. I furiously scrubbed at my eyes with the back of my hand, trying to keep the tears at bay, at least until I was in private.

Tawni started to walk away, waving at Chad over her shoulder, and I watched as she strutted out of sight. Then I turned on my heel and stalked back into Starbucks, making a beeline for the bathroom. I quickly washed my face and tried my eyes, careful to make sure that I looked presentable.

When I got back outside, Chad was still across the street, looking at a package that he was holding in his hand. He quickly slipped the DVD back into the yellow plastic bag and tucked in under his arm before walking back to the studios, whistling jovially.

I took a suck of my straw and swished the mouthful of cappuccino around in my mouth before swallowing. As much as I didn't want to do this, I knew that I had to. Without a second thought, I pulled my phone out from my skirt and quickly tapped in my message, chewing on my lower lip the entire time.

_Chad, we need to talk – Sonny _

I hesitated slightly before pressing SEND, but finally pushed it down, choking back a sob as I did so. I loved Chad with all of my heart, and I didn't want to do this; not after all that we had been through. And honestly, I wasn't going to break up with him. All I was going to do was calmly ask him why he had broken our date today. And if he lied and told me that he had extra rehearsals, then I would confront him. But if he told me that he had been meeting with Tawni, then there was a strong chance that I would just put this behind us. Because honestly, if he was willing to tell me that he had been hanging out with my cast-mate, then obviously he wasn't cheating on me.

Was he?

* * *

"Hey Sonny, got your text. What's up?"

I looked up from my spot on the couch to find Chad leaning in the doorway of the Prop House, his hands in his pants pockets. I beckoned for him to come over and he plopped down on the couch next to me, but not before kissing my forehead. Once he was settled comfortable amid the pillows, he looked over at me, his eyebrows raised.

I swivelled in my seat so that I was angled towards him, my hands clasped on top of my knee. "So, how come you couldn't make our lunch date today?" I asked, trying my best to come across as nonchalant. I kneaded my fingers together and glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

If Chad was surprised that I had brought that up, then it didn't show. Instead, he chuckled slightly and reached over for me, gripping my gently by my arm and pulling me over so that I was nestled against his chest. "I was at the video store, just picking something up. I rented a DVD for us to watch tonight, but if you don't want to watch it…?"

"But Chad…I saw you with Tawni," I admitted, my words muffled against his chest. "I was at Starbucks, and I saw you guys together."

I looked up at him and saw his face contorted in confusion. Suddenly, his features smoothed out and he patted one hand on the top of my head. "Sonny, I wasn't _with_ Tawni. Well, I mean I was with her, but I wasn't _with_ her. I called her and asked if she could help me, because I couldn't find the DVD that I wanted to borrow. Besides, you should know by now that you're – " he paused to press a kiss against my cheek. "– the only girl for me."

I smiled and just like that, all of my worry melted away. I loved the fact that Chad had that affect on me. "So," I asked, turning on the charm. "What movie did you borrow?"

"Nah-ah-ah," Chad tweaked my nose playfully and shook his head. "You'll find out tonight. I'm not going to tell you and ruin the surprise."

I crossed my arms and huffed in agitation, half seriously and half playing. I wasn't too big a fan of surprises, and Chad knew this. So I had no idea why he kept having them thrust upon me, even if his intentions were pretty sweet. But I could never stay mad at him, especially for such a stupid reason as this.

"Fine."

"Fine," he shot back, his eyes twinkling at the sound of our familiar game.

I grinned now. "Good."

"Good."

"I love you," I said, swiftly brushing my lips against his.

He kissed the side of my head and then stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "I love you too," he said, walking over to the door. "And, Sonny? We're getting married tomorrow."

* * *

I woke up the next morning snuggled against Chad's chest. My blanket was loosely wrapped around my body, save for one foot stretching out, completely bare. I lifted my hand from where it was resting, palm down, against Chad's chest and brushed a few wisps of my hair out of my eyes.

I vaguely remembered the night before. We had both gotten home from work and after taking a shower, I had quickly popped some pizzas into the oven. Chad was in the bathroom while they baked, so I settled on the couch with a book, the delicious aroma of the cheese pizza wafting around me and tantalizing my taste buds. After we finished eating our dinner, I stuck a bag of popcorn into the microwave and loaded up the dishwasher. As soon as I slipped the last plate into the rung, the microwave beeped, letting me know that my snack was ready. Then, armed with a big bowl of popcorn and two bottles of ice cold water, I ventured out into the TV room, where Chad was setting up the DVD.

That was the last thing that I remembered. I must have dozed off even before the opening credits of the movie played, because I wasn't even sure what we had been watching. Although I was practically 100 percent sure that this was what has happened, I still felt the need to have it confirmed, so that I was positive that I wasn't suffering from a blank out.

"Chad? Did I umm…did I fall asleep last night?" I asked in a small voice, tilting my head ever so slightly so that I could look at him.

He let out a deep breath, causing his chest to rise and fall in an even motion, taking my hand along with it. "Yeah you did. We didn't even make it past the menu screen on the DVD before you conked out on me. And _no one_ conks out on CDC."

I could hear the smirk in his voice and I rolled my eyes. "Then why didn't you wake me up?"

"Except you. No one conks out on CDC except you. Besides, you looked so peaceful sleeping, and I knew that you were tired from all of the excitement going on lately, so I just left you. We can always watch a movie another time. It's no big deal."

Wow. In all of the time that Chad and I had been dating, I hadn't exactly fully noticed a change between how he was when I first met him, and how he was now. People always told me what a big difference there was: how he was nicer now, sweeter now, not as much of an egotistical jerk; I just hadn't seen it. He was still the same Chad to me. But now I could clearly see what they had been saying. Chad's entire little speech had just proven to me just how much he had changed – it was completely selfless.

I sat up in bed and arched my back, stretching my arms high over my head. My shoulder cracked and I grimaced. Ever since I was younger, I had always been grossed out by the sound of a person's joints cracking. Not that that stopped me from cracking my knuckles more than I should, but the noise just crawled my blood. I stifled a yawn and turned my attentions to Chad, who was regarding me with one eyebrow raised, amusement evident on his face.

"Where's our wedding going to be today?" I asked, folding my blanket over to the side and sliding out of my bed. I pulled open my closet doors and studied all of my clothes, trying to figure out an outfit for the day and waiting for Chad's answer at the same time. A light bulb clicked on in my head, and I snapped my fingers in glee.

"The studios," Chad said. I heard a slight rustling and then the sound of his bare feet hitting the floor. I was too busy rifling through my clothes to notice that Chad had come up behind me until his hands gripped my waist gently and he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Our wedding today is at the studios. Why do you ask?"

I found the turquoise blouse that I had been looking for and smiled to myself before flinging it over my shoulder. I continued on my hunt through my closet, this time trying to locate my pair of leggings that was designed to look like skinny jeans. I groped around in the dark until my fingers found purchase, and I grinned again. Finally, I back out of my closet and sashayed towards the bathroom, excitement coursing through my veins. Technically, this was our fourth wedding, but the excitement never seemed to fade.

"No reason," I answered over my shoulder, my ponytail hitting me square in the face as I turned my head too fast. "I was just wondering."

I decided not to spend too much time in the bathroom today since me and Chad were sharing, and I didn't want to keep him waiting for too long. Besides, the way I saw it, the faster we bathed and got to the studios, the faster we could get married. And I couldn't wait.

I turned off the water and scrubbed the droplets of water off of my skin with the towel. I quickly dressed myself with the outfit that I had extracted from my closet and hastily scraped my hair back into a ponytail, securing it with a turquoise ponytail holder. Then I brushed some mascara onto my eyelashes, powered my face and swiped a thin coat of lip gloss over my mouth, pursing and gently smacking to even out the shine.

I thought that I was pretty quick in the bathroom, so I opened up the door and stepped outside, absentmindedly playing with the ends of my ponytail. I expected Chad to go in after me, so I was completely flabbergasted when I saw him lounging on my bed, fully bathed and dressed already. He chuckled at the look on my face.

"Chad? How did you finish so quickly? Where did you bathe?"

He pointed a single finger up to the ceiling. "We have another bathroom upstairs, you know, Sonny."

If my eyes widened anymore, my eyeballs would be rolling around on the floor. "Your house has _three_ stories? How come I didn't know?"

He shrugged, unconcerned. "Well, you've been living here less than a week, Munroe. The house if pretty big – I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it eventually. And what do you mean, how did I finish so fast? You took practically 40 minutes in the bathroom. That's not exactly quick, you know?"

I pushed my bottom lip out in a pout. "But I tried so hard to hurry up this morning."

Chad laughed and slung one arm around my shoulders. "Maybe tomorrow. Now let's head to the studios. We can have breakfast in the commissary."

I nodded, grabbed my purse from the doorknob and hooked it in the crook of my elbow. Chad opened up the front door for me and, after he locked up, we headed for his car. I couldn't help smiling as we drove down to Condor Studios, the wind gently caressing my curls. I was majorly excited for the wedding today.

When we arrived at the studios, Chad pressed a kiss against my lips and pulled out his cell phone from his pants pocket. "Why don't you go and put your bag down in your dressing room, and then meet me on Stage 3, ok?"

I nodded and all but skipped down the hall, my slouchy black leather boots making this task a little more difficult than I had intended. When I got to my dressing room unscathed, I flung open the door and danced inside, butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. I didn't even notice Tawni sitting at her vanity until she spoke, her voice nearly as squeaky as mine.

"Look, look, look!" she cried, pointing one perfectly manicured fingernail at the couch in the back. I shot her a confused look, but pranced over, nearly shrieking when I saw what was resting there: a two-piece costume made of lilac silk. The top half looked like a bra, and the bottom half was a pair of baggy, but yet fitted pants. I would recognize that outfit anywhere.

"Princess Jasmine!" I cried, clapping my hands together excitedly. Suddenly, the random question about my favourite Disney movie made sense. Obviously he was planning a Disney wedding, and this only multiplied my excitement tenfold.

I gently grabbed the outfit and flitted over to my dressing cubicle. I shut the curtain and stripped out of my clothes, replacing them with the delicate costume. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and let it fall around my shoulders, emerging from the cubicle as I did so. My stomach felt cool, since it was completely bare, but the air conditioning was the least of my problems. I realized, with a start, that my boots did not go with this outfit at all.

"Sonny, look what was on the leopard couch," Tawni said, breaking through my thoughts. She held up a plain white box and opened it with a dramatic flourish exposing what had been wrapped up inside. I gasped as I caught sight of the lilac ballet flats. They weren't exactly like Jasmine's but they were _perfect_.

I slipped out of my boots and put on the flats, sighing as they molded around my feet. I quickly gave Tawni a hug and waved over my shoulder as I departed, practically running to Stage 3. Once I got there, I burst through the doors and stopped in my tracks. Chad had arranged to have an entire set made for our wedding; a set that looked like the Sultan's palace. I saw him standing in front of Frank, who was dressed as the Sultan himself.

"Chad!"

He turned to look at me, and my breath caught in my throat. He wasn't wearing what Aladdin had gotten married in. Instead, he was decked out in Aladdin's street rat clothes – baggy pants and an open front vest. Even across the room, I could see Chad's abs.

His eyes seemed to light up and he started to approach me. The closer he got though, it was easy to tell that he wasn't too happy. His eyes, although they were bright, were tight around the corners and his mouth was stuck in a hard line.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my own eyebrows furrowing together.

He gestured wildly with his hands, his words coming out in agitated bursts. "Well, I had all of this made for you for our wedding. And it was supposed to be just like it was in the movie, but my fake thieves ate some bad shrimp last night and are all down with food poisoning. And now it won't be completely perfect, like how I had planned it."

I placed my hands against his stomach, effectively cutting off his venting session. I smiled up at his puzzled expression and leaned against him, my head fitting perfectly in the crook between his neck and chin. "Don't worry about those details, ok Chad? It still is perfect, even without the thieves. Because you went through all of this trouble, but mostly because you're here. So stop stressing, ok?"

I felt his lips touch my head. "Thanks Sonny," he said quietly. Then, a little louder, he added, "Ready to get married?"

I pulled away and beamed up at him, nodding my head wildly. We linked hands and walked towards where Frank was waiting for us, nervously fidgeting with the feather that was protruding from his hat.

"You know, I really like that outfit on you," I said lightly, drinking in his appearance once more.

"I could say the same to you," he replied, studying my closely. It was almost as if he wanted to commit every minute detail to memory and I blushed.

We stopped walking in front of Frank and instead took our positions facing one another. Chad took my hands in his and smiled at me, and I returned the favour, the tears already forming in my eyes. I knew that all of this was fake, but I just couldn't help it. The whole scenario just felt so real to me.

Frank cleared his throat and began to speak. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two young souls, Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe. If anyone wishes to object to this union of holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Since no one was around – much like our last wedding – we just went on with the ceremony. Frank paused to take a deep breath before continuing and I smiled. Chad caught sight of my grin and winked playfully at me, which only succeeded in making my smile morph into a full out grin.

"Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I do," I said softly, letting the tears trail down my cheek.

""Do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Chad answered, standing proudly. For the first time, I noticed the little maroon hat that was balanced on the top of Chad's head and I let out a giggle.

"Then you may now kiss the bride," Frank declared, shutting his Bible closed. He must have done this simple ceremony for us enough times that he had his lines memorized, so I was convinced that his Holy Bible was just for show at this point.

Chad placed on hand against my cheek and brought his lips down against mine, sending fireworks off in a tizzy behind my closed eyelids. When we broke apart, I sighed in contentment and rested my head against his chest, a goofy smile spread across my face. I darted my eyes up to glance at him, and was surprised to find him already looking down at me. Our lips met in the middle and I giggled into the kiss.

This particular wedding hadn't exactly been what either of us had imagined or planned for. And yet, it turned out perfect all the same.

* * *

**Yeah, I know that one had a lot of breaks in it. And I'm sorry if there are any grammar and spelling mistakes.**

**Remember to send your ideas in please guys!**

**Review :) [please haha]**


	7. E is for Elope

**Hey hey people!**

**Ok, so I just banged my thumb against my laptop while I was shifting my position in my chair, and it really hurts. It literally smarts. And now I have this funky white line running across my nail. Why do these things happen to me?**

**Anyways, I just wanted to give an Honourable Mention to **MonkeyGirlxoxo**, because she submitted the Elope idea in her review! Of course, I had initally planned for Sonny and Chad to elope when I was writing the outline for this story, which is the exact reason why I'm not really dedicating this Chapter to anyone. But still, I want to thank you for ALL of your ideas, EVERYONE! :)**

**Before we get on to the story, how many of you saw Sonny with a Secret? Isn't Chad and Sonny's fishing hook thing the best? It's adorable! "Come on now"...so sweet!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

**PS - I realized a little too late that I forgot something from the previous chapter. I guess none of you guys noticed it (since you didn't mention anything about it in your reviews), but I still made sure to just add it in here. Let me know if you know what it is!  
**

* * *

Chapter 7

_E is for Elope_

* * *

I let out a frustrated sigh and buried my head in the crook of my elbow, messing my hair up in the process. The table that I was sitting at was covered in discarded sheets of paper and scrunched up balls of garbage, all of them covered in my somewhat messy handwriting. A couple pens were strewn across the tabletop, uncapped and half hidden beneath the behemoth piles of trash. Half of a cheese sandwich was abandoned in the corner, an empty cup situated next to the plate.

I had been trying to write a sketch for the past three hours, but everything that I had come up with was either too cliché, not funny enough or just downright embarrassing. Every single sketch idea that I had failed, and after about two minutes of trying to expand on it, I would toss it into the ever-growing pile of garbage. I couldn't get my head in the game; the comedy was slipping through my fingers today and I was pretty sure the reason why this was happening.

The truth was that I simply _could not _focus. All I could think about was when the next wedding would be, and the curiosity was killing me. It had been about two and a half weeks since Chad and my _Aladdin_ wedding and ever since then, my fiancé hadn't said a word about anything else that he was planning. At times, he seemed to be in deep thought about something, but every time that I asked him what was up, he would evade the question and start talking about a different topic.

I nervously tapped my foot and blew out, my breath ruffling my bangs. Marshall wanted us to introduce a new sketch on tomorrow night's show, and so far I had nothing. I let out an agitated groan and bit my lip, wracking my brain for anything funny at all.

"What's up, Sonny?"

At the sound of my name, I looked up to find Chad strolling through the doorway, his hands in his pockets and his hair looking extra windblown. When he saw that he had my attention he smiled and came to take a seat next to me, easily sliding into the chair and grasping my trembling fingers in his. He noticed me eyeing his hair with one eyebrow cocked and he tried to smooth down the unruly locks to no avail. I didn't exactly mind though; it looked pretty hot this way.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking in my appearance. I didn't even need a mirror to know what he was seeing. I could picture exactly how I looked: makeup smudged, hair knotted and clothes creased and wrinkly. All of this because I kept burying my head in my hands and leaning over the table in aggravation.

I gestured to the pile of garbage in front of me. "I have writer's block!" I wailed, picking up a fistful of papers and launching them into the air. "I've been trying to write a sketch for three hours, and I literally have _nothing_. Can you help me?"

Chad grimaced. "Sonny, you know that I don't do comedy. But where are your cast mates? Shouldn't they be helping you with this?"

"Nico and Grady are trying to sneak past Murphy to drink from the fro-yo machine again, Zora is at the movies with her cousin and Tawni is doing her nails in our dressing room," I recited, keeping my eyes trained on Chad's face as I said my best friend's name.

It wasn't that I thought that he was cheating on me exactly, especially not after our wedding two and a half weeks ago. But I knew that there was some secret that the two of them were in on, a secret that they weren't letting me know about. Sometimes I caught them speaking in hushed voices when they thought that I was in the bathroom, and more than once Tawni had called our house, asking to speak to Chad instead of me. She claimed that she wanted him to pass a message onto Portlyn from her, but they always ended up speaking for more than half an hour, and Chad was always careful to make sure that everything he said was too quiet for me to understand.

He didn't so much as bat an eyelid when I said Tawni's name, and I smiled in relief. I wasn't sure what was going on with those two, but I was determined to find out. Just not at this exact moment, since I seemed to be swamped in work, and I was already tired of brainstorming.

"Well," Chad was saying, "why don't you go and ask them to help you? They shouldn't be off having fun while you're stuck with all of the work."

I brightened at his words, realizing all at once just how true they were. "You're right!"

He smirked. "Of course I am. When am I not right? Chad Dylan Cooper is always right."

I rolled my eyes and ignored him, instead jumping to my feet with a newfound energy. If I could just find Nico and Grady in the commissary, I would be able to convince them to help me. They were, after all, comic geniuses. Not too bright academically (although I still loved them to death), but masterminds when it came to comedy.

I took off down the hall, shouting a quick thanks to Chad over my shoulder. Now that I had some extra energy, I was counting on Nico and Grady to put their minds to good use and help me finish the sketch. After all, they had been the guys behind the Rapping Pirate and Dolphin Boy. They were bound to have some ideas.

I burst into the cafeteria and found Nico and Grady sitting at a table, squirming under the steely glare of Murphy. Those guys had been enemies with that security guard ever since we were teenagers, and apparently it had carried on up until now. I never did find out why Murphy had it in for those guys, but I had a suspicion that it had to do with the amount of trouble that they always made for him.

I approached their table slowly, hiding the piece of paper behind my back. I plastered a grin onto my face and tried to turn on my charm, my voice raising a couple of octaves. "Hi guys," I said sweetly, standing in between them and Murphy. I heard a _harrumph_ come from behind me, but I ignored it.

Nico and Grady visibly relaxed, their faces smoothing and their shoulders sagging. Nico smiled at me as I took a seat across from them while Grady bit out a huge mouthful of his sandwich. As he chewed, I placed the paper on the table in front of them and flipped my hair over my shoulder, trying to untangle the knots that had worked themselves between my locks.

"What's up, Sonny?" Nico said, pausing to pop a BBQ flavoured potato chip in his mouth. He offered me the bag and I took a chip, the powder coating my index finger and thumb. Instead of eating the food, however, I nervously rolled the chip through my fingers, creating a small mess. Nico regarded me with his eyebrows raised, but Grady was too busy eating to notice.

"Listen guys, I need your help," I said, finally cutting to the chase. "I'm having a _severe_ case of writer's block, and I was wondering if you could help me with the new sketch for tomorrow's show. Do you have any ideas?"

Grady made a noise that sounded like a mix between a squeal and the cry of an epiphany. "I know!" he practically shouted, plopping his sandwich on the plate in front of him. I picked up my pen and poised it over the paper, waiting for him to continue with what he was saying. "Why don't we make this sketch about cheese ninjas fighting to take over to world! And there can be two teams, the Cheddar and the Mozzarella, and they're stuck in an all-out war with each other!"

Nico and I exchanged glances. "Well, that's an…interesting idea, Grady," I said slowly, trying to choose my words carefully. He looked at me with expectant eyes, his face the picture of innocence. "But I'm not too sure that we can use that."

"Why not?"

I wracked my brain for a good excuse. "Well…So Random! doesn't want to encourage violence in any way, right? The last thing that we need right now is for some of our fans to go and have fistfights with each other because they saw us do it on TV."

Grady thought this over for a moment, his mouth twisted in concentration. Finally, he nodded his head and took another monster bite of his sandwich, clearly accepting my excuse. Nico glanced at me, relief plain on his face, and I smiled at him. Then I frowned, and stuck my lower lip out in a pout.

"What's wrong, Sonny?"

I looked at my two friends and sighed. "Well, as much as I appreciate the help that you guys tried to give me, I still don't really have anything for the new sketch that we have to perform tomorrow night. Maybe I'll go and ask Tawni to help me out."

I rushed over to our shared dressing room and ran into the room, knocking the wooden door back on its hinges. Tawni, cell phone pressed against her ear, looked up to see what the commotion was about. When she saw that it was me, the colour drained from her face. "Listen Joe, I'll call you back, ok?" she said sweetly, her voice going up two octaves. When the pitch of _my_ voice got higher, it meant I was lying. But with Tawni, it was what could only be called her flirty voice. I grimaced and perched on the edge of the couch, nervously tapping the blank piece of paper against my knee.

"Love you too sweetie, bye!" Tawni ended the call and carefully stuck her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans, avoiding my eyes the whole time. Almost as if I wasn't even there, the blonde strutted right past me and took a seat on one of the couches in the back of our dressing room, shifting the red afghan that was lying there to the side with a flick of her wrist. Her bracelets clanged together, the sound filling the silence.

"Tawni?"

Something was up, and although I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, I knew that I had to tread carefully. As much as I loved my best friend, I had to admit that the girl was a firecracker. Everything could be perfect, but all it took was one wrong move and then you were toast.

She turned to look at me, her eyebrows raised and her mouth open in a perfect oval – as if she hadn't even noticed that I was there until now. Except I knew that that couldn't have been true; she had seen me come in the room and ended her phone call with her boyfriend, hadn't she?

"Oh, umm, hi Sonny," she said, absentmindedly twirling a curl around her finger. She bit her lip and looked at me, her expression almost guilty. "What are you doing here?"

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Well, aside from the fact that this _is_ also my dressing room, I came to ask you for some help. You know that new sketch that Marshall wants us to write? Well, I can't think of any ideas, and I was wondering if you could help me. I already went to Nico and Grady, and came up dry there. And Chad said that he doesn't do funny, so _please_ Tawni, can you help me?"

She lit her hand into her pocket and pulled out a tube of lip gloss, her fingers already working on uncapping the makeup tube. Without a word, she coated her lips in the cosmetic and pursed them together, examining herself in the mirror from across the room. With Tawni, her lips always came first, so I didn't even take offense at this; it was normal.

"Sorry Sonny, I can't help you," she said finally, slipping the lip gloss back into her pocket. She checked her watch – an action which felt funny to me – and stood up abruptly, her curls bouncing. "I need to be…uhh, anywhere except here, ok? But tell me how the sketch goes!"

She brushed past me and out the door, leaving me completely speechless. I wasn't really upset because she ignored my request for help. I mean, she was Tawni; that was practically what she did. But the fact that she had just blown me off, that she seemed to be avoiding me? That was what hurt.

I looked down at the blank sheet of paper balanced on my knee and quickly sent a text message to Chad, informing him that I was heading home now, so he shouldn't wait for me when he was finished filming. Then I got up and trudged towards the door, making sure to toss the now-crumpled piece of paper into the garbage bin. I wasn't going to be needing that anymore.

**

* * *

**

I pulled my blanket tighter around my body and leaned my head against the backrest of our sofa, closing my eyes to ease my headache. I had been home for about an hour and a half, and I hadn't changed my position once from the time that I had curled up like this five minutes after walking through the door. Deep down, a part of me knew that I was overreacting, but I still couldn't help it.

When I first moved to Hollywood, me and Lucy had tried really hard to stay in touch with each other. But after her first (and only) trip to come and visit me out in California, our friendship had quickly dissolved. We were both at fault, because I guess that we didn't try hard enough to stay being friends despite the distance. However, that didn't change the hurt that I felt after we stopped talking. Lucy had been my best friend ever since we met in the first grade and it was such a blow to lose her.

And although I was lonely at first, Tawni eventually filled in and became my new best friend. If I saw something funny, my first thought wasn't to call Lucy and tell her. I began to wonder if Tawni would appreciate the humour too, and would then quickly shoot her a text. But now that she was avoiding me – and I don't even know what I did wrong! – I could instantly feel the pain that I had felt when Lucy and I "broken up".

The front door opened and Chad called out my name, his voice tentative. I tried to answer him, but my reply came out as a croak. My throat was dry from being underused for so long, so I just let my hair cover my face and waited for Chad to come in. Moments later, I heard his footsteps and then felt the couch sink next me. Before I knew it, his arms were wrapped around me and I dropped my head against his chest, letting him comb his fingers through my hair.

"What's going on?" asked Chad, his words muffled against my head. He placed a kiss right underneath my ear and lay back on the couch, pulling me with him. I settled comfortably between the backrest of the couch and his body, using his chest as a pillow. "What's wrong?"

"I think -" my voice came out raspy, so I cleared my throat and then tried again. "- that Tawni doesn't want to be my friend anymore."

Shock flitted through Chad's eyes. "Why would you think that?"

I shrugged half-heartedly. "She's been avoiding me all day, when I asked for help with the new sketch she just ignored me and she told me that she needed to be _anywhere except here_ when I was in the room," I said. As I was speaking, I ticked each point off on my fingers, and imitated Tawni's high falsetto when I was quoting her. I could see Chad trying to fight his smile, but even that didn't make me feel better.

"Sonny," Chad said, holding me closer to him. "She's not mad at you, and she's doesn't not want to be your friend anymore. Don't worry about this, ok? It's just….well, it's just Tawni being Tawni."

"Just Tawni being Tawni," I echoed softly. "Are you sure?"

Chad just nodded his head. "I'm positive. So don't worry anymore, alright?"

I laid my hand flat against his chest and rested my chin on my knuckles, keeping my own brown eyes trained on Chad's cerulean ones. They were _both_ sparkling, and he seemed sincere. Just like that, my anxiety melted away and I smiled. "Alright. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you," I replied, rising up a little to brush my lips across his. I pulled back to find him smirking, although his eyes were giving away the happiness that he was feeling.

"Well, CDC _is_ pretty spectacular," he said cockily, causing me to roll my eyes at him. If there was one thing that my fiancé knew how to do well, it was ruin a moment. He laughed at my reaction and kissed me again, longer and with more fervour this time. I abandoned the blanket and wove my fingers through his silky golden locks, completely lost in the moment…

…until my stomach let out a vicious growl and I pulled back, my cheeks tinted a shocking pink. With a start I remembered that the last thing that I had eaten was half of a cheese sandwich washed down by a cup of Coke, and I sheepishly grinned at Chad.

"Soooo," I said, patting his chest with my hand. He looked at me with his eyebrows raised, waiting for what I was going to say next. From the look in his eyes, I could tell that he knew what was coming, and I just broadened my grin, trying my best to look cutesy. "What's for dinner?"

**

* * *

**

I wrapped myself up in my blanket and lay down against the pillows, my dark locks splaying out behind me on the cool surface of my pillowcase. Nestled on top of a pillow to my left was Clarabelle, her dopey brown eyes watching me carefully, protecting me from any potential harm. Emotionally, obviously, and psychologically – not physically; who would be scared of an old stuffed cow?

After my stupid stomach had ruined what could have been quite a steamy moment (it made me blush to even _think_ about that), both Chad and myself had rolled off of the sofa and gone out for pizza. For once the paparazzi left us alone, so we were just able to enjoy each other's company and dine in peace, albeit the occasional fan asking for a picture and autographs.

Clearly though, I was not made for excessive amounts of drama. After everything that I had gone through today, I was completely and utterly pooped, and wanted nothing more than to just lie down on my bed and get an undisturbed rest. I snuggled down into my bed and closed my eyes, my mouth tilted up in a little smile as I observed the silence around me. Perfect sleeping weather.

I was just drifting off when I felt something sharp dig into my side. My eyes flew open and I frantically turned my head to the side, wiggling underneath the covers in fear. The first thought that crossed my mind was _Robbers!_ , and I opened my mouth to cry out. But something else dawned on me and my scream got caught in my throat: _What happened to Chad?_

As the sharp object kept scratching against me, I reached wildly for anything on my night table to defend myself with, smiling when my fingers found purchase. I closed my fist around my heavy lamp and was just about to raise it when the intruder whispered my name.

"Sonny!"

The voice was decidedly feminine and somewhat familiar, although I couldn't exactly place it in my drowsy state of mind. The person called me again, adding a rough shake this time. Bracelets jangled against each other, filling my room with a _clinking_ sound and I finally realized who it was.

"Tawni?" I hissed, rolling over and glaring at my best friend. She looked back at me, her eyebrows furrowed but her hazel orbs glinting with innocence. She was dressed up pretty glitzy, especially for so late at night. "Tawni, what are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

"Chad let me in," she chirped, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Now get up! We have to get this show on the road!"

I threw back my covers and got to my feet. "What are you talking about?"

"Your wedding, Sonny! I've come to take you to your wedding! Now get in these clothes and put on those shoes and meet me outside in five minutes. Oh, and use the bathroom quickly if you have to, ok?" she tossed over her shoulder as she flounced out of my room, somehow managing to stay completely quiet, despite her four inch heels striking the floor.

I stripped out of my pyjamas and slipped into the dress that Tawni had pointed out in a daze, my mind still fogged up from my close encounter with sleep. I had a wedding to go to now? This late at night? And how come Chad hadn't told me what was going on? He always told me whenever we were going to have a wedding, so that I could prepare, if nothing else.

I quickly brushed my teeth and put on the green ballet flats that Tawni had positioned at the foot of my bed before grabbing my cell phone and heading out the door. I found Tawni lounging on the couch, idly flipping through a magazine. She looked up as I approached and she offered me one of her rare, sincere smiles.

"You look really pretty," she said, throwing the magazine on the coffee table and getting to her feet. She smoothed her skirt with one hand and fixed her hair with the other, finishing both of these actions in two seconds flat. "Come on, Chad's waiting for you."

I followed her out the front door and into her car, waiting until she was out of our driveway to start peppering her with questions. "What's going on? What wedding is this? Did Chad put you up to this? Is this whole thing the reason why you were acting so weird today? How long did you know about this? Where are we going?" The questions were out of my mouth so fast and furious that Tawni didn't have any time to answer one before another popped out.

The more I kept talking, the more she rolled her eyes, but I just couldn't seem to stop. My curiosity was getting the better of me, and I was also pretty relived that Tawni was acting like her old self again. The relief was making me jittery, and in turn, also quite annoying. I knew it, but I couldn't stop talking. Almost as if my mouth had a life of its own.

Finally, Tawni stopped the car and I looked out my window, eager to see where we were. As soon as I registered the scenery outside I gasped, one hand flying all the way up to my throat. Tawni had brought me to the old oak tree at the edge of the park; a place that was special to me and Chad. This was where he had taken me on our first date – a picnic under the stars. And now, almost every time something important to significant happened to us, we shared it out here, together. It was kind of a sappy tradition, but I loved it all the same.

"Tawni, what are we doing out here?" I breathed, admiring how the moonlight shone on the flowers, and the huge shadow that the oak tree cast over the lawn. There was nothing ominous about the shadow, despite its size and twisted shape. It actually just added to the beauty of the moment and I smiled. Obviously Chad had planned this, since it was a wedding at our special place. Now all I wanted to do was find him and kiss him.

Tawni seemed to read my thoughts because she wordlessly took my hand and led me behind the tree, where I saw that Chad, Frank and Skylar were waiting. As soon as I saw Chad I broke free from Tawni's grasp and raced towards him. He opened his arms at just the right moment and picked me up, spinning me around with my legs flying through the air behind me.

"Oh my gosh, what is all of this?" I asked breathlessly as he set me back on the ground.

He grinned his cheeky grin at me. "**E is for Elope**, Sonny."

A thought suddenly struck me. "You know, you didn't do the whole announcing thing at our last wedding," I pointed out, wagging my finger at him playfully. "And I really like when you do it. So…maybe you could do it now?" I looked hopefully at him, widening my eyes.

Chad rolled his own. "Isn't it a little late for that now?"

"Please, Chad?"

"Fine. **D is for Disney**."

I giggled, and I could have sworn that I heard Skylar mutter "whipped," underneath his breath, but I didn't care. Chad, it seemed, didn't care either, because he didn't even acknowledge his best friend's remark. Instead he held my hands in his and turned us to face Frank, who was fidgeting with his reading glasses and holding his Bible lovingly against his chest. I thought about asking him why he would bother to bring such a heavy prop all the way out here tonight, but decided against it. I didn't want to ruin the moment.

He looked up at us and cleared his throat. I heard a faint rustling behind me and looked over my shoulder to find Tawni standing straight and tall, the moonlight shining off of her golden curls. When she saw me looking at her she smiled and gestured for me to turn around. In a similar fashion, Skylar was also standing behind Chad, looking extremely serious. I gazed at Chad questioningly, but he just shook his head, his own way of telling me not to worry.

Frank read through the ceremony, pausing only to cast a wary glance at Skylar when he got to the part about objections. Skylar reddened and looked down at his feet, probably wishing that he had never played that joke on us during our first wedding.

"Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Frank's voice broke through my thoughts and I peeked up to find him looking at me over the tops of his glasses.

"I do."

"And do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Then you may now-"

Before Frank even had a chance to finish his declaration, Chad captured my lips with his. The kiss was so amazingly perfect that my knees turned to jelly and I fell against him. He caught me and I felt his lips twist into a smirk against my mouth. I ignored this and gave him one last peck before I pulled away, my mind stuck in a light case of brain fog. No matter how many times we got married, each wedding just got better and better. Now, not only was I afraid that I would lose the bet, but I was also anxious to see how our last wedding would turn out. Because really, what could be better than just plain perfect?

After my knees recovered, I stood back and looked at Tawni and Skylar, who were busy talking to Frank. He seemed to be explaining something to them and they were nodding in understanding, both of their faces as solemn as I had ever seen them. Finally Frank handed a pen over to Tawni and she bent over a piece of paper, using the Holy Bible to press on as she signed her name with a flourish.

"What's going on over there?" I asked Chad. He followed my finger to the little gathering and the corners of his mouth turned up a little. "Chad?"

He loped one of his arms around my shoulders and led me over to his car. Before he answered, he pulled out his cell phone and typed a quick message. A few moments after he pressed SEND, Skylar jumped and pulled his own phone out from his jacket pocket. He took a fleeting glance at the screen and gave Chad a thumbs up before turning his attention back to Frank and Tawni.

"Chad?"

"Well, you know how every time you see a couple elope in a movie, they have to have witnesses? I decided that if we were going to do this thing, might as well make sure that we do everything. And I knew that Tawni was your best friend, so I thought that she might be your choice for your witness. I mean, I got my best friend to be mine. That was, of course, why Tawni was acting so distant earlier today. She was in on this the whole time. And you know that she can't keep a secret, so she had to avoid you."

I buckled my seat belt and leaned my head back against the headrest, fighting an overwhelming urge to yawn. After all of the excitement of our wedding, the exhaustion from the whole day finally got to me, and my eyelids felt as if they weighed 200 pounds. I nodded my head slowly, processing all of this new information. Of course I knew that Tawni couldn't keep a secret. She just got so excited about things that they involuntarily poured out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Chad pulled into our driveway and parked the car, the sudden jolt jerking me awake. I stifled a yawn and opened my door, stretching my arm above my head to ease my back muscles. I stepped out of the car and stumbled slightly, too tired to keep my footing balanced and way too sleepy to even care. I felt two strong arms encircle my waist, and the next thing I knew, Chad was picking me up and carrying me inside.

He took the steps two at a time and was just about to lay me down on my bed when I tightened my grip around his shoulders, my face buried in the hollow between his chin and neck.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" I asked, my voice muffled. My request was met with silence, and I lifted my head to see what the matter was. Chad was looking down at me, his eyes wide, and I realized what my question must have sounded like. The expression on his face made me hasten to add, "I just don't want to sleep alone, that's all. And I'm tired and I want to cuddle. Clarabelle just doesn't cut it sometimes."

Chad cracked a grin and turned around, making a beeline for his bedroom. As we passed my bedside table I was able to clearly make out a block of paper, the words So Random! printed neatly in the middle of the page. I was sure that that wasn't there when I had gone to bed, and I was positive that it wasn't mine.

It wasn't until we were halfway to Chad's room that I realized what it was. Tawni must have written the sketch and given it to me, probably because she felt bad about blowing me off earlier. I remembered the early days, when caring was a feeling that was completely unfamiliar to Tawni, and smiled. She had really changed since I had first met her.

That was the last thought that ran through my mind as Chad gently deposited me onto his bed. I raised my head and looked at him as he lovingly covered me in a blanket, and I thanked him by giving him a kiss against his cheek. Then I curled up into a little ball, and fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed that haha. At first, I thought that at some parts, Chad might be a little OOC. But then I thought that I wanted to have made him change, if only a little. And then, after seeing Sonny with a Secret, I realized that maybe it wasn't so far out after all haha.**

**Please review, you guys. I still need some of your ingenious ideas for upcoming chapters. I have F, G, H, and I, and then L and M covered for now. Fortunately, I still need some help for J, K, N and O - which means that I can use your amazing ideas! I love it when you guys suggest themes for me, so please continue to send them in!**

**:)**

**PS - And I completely apologize for any mistakes! Sorry!**


	8. F is for Ferris Wheel

**Pretty close updates, huh? I have a goal of one more this week, or the weekend for the latest. I'm so excited!**

**Sorry about that you guys, I'm just pretty excited, because it's a new Pretty Little Liars in 28 minutes, and I love that show so I am hyper lol :)**

**And two reviewers came up with these idea, which is why this Chapter is dedicated to the both of them. I couldn't leave anyone out!**

**Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy Chapter 8, which is the letter F. I really have nothing else to say, so without further ado, here we go!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC or the reference to JONAS LA :)**

* * *

Chapter 8

_F is for Ferris Wheel_

Dedicated to viciousboar and vanessJ325

* * *

"Sonny."

The sound of my name roused me from my sleep and I rolled over in bed, tempted to pull my pillow up and over my head to block out any other unwanted noises. I bent my knees towards my stomach and tucked my chin in, determined to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, I was one of those people who couldn't fall back asleep once they were woken up, so I flopped back with a sigh and stared at the ceiling overhead.

"Sonny?" Chad poked his head into the bedroom. Once he saw that I was awake and alert, his face brightened. "Good thing that you're up. Your mom is on the phone for you." When he stepped all the way into the room, I saw that he was holding the portable phone in one hand, the other cupped over the speaker.

I held my hand out and wiggled my fingers, and he set the phone down into my open palm. I brought it up to my ear, almost unable to keep my grin from stretching across my face. I hadn't spoken to my mom in a while, and even though I _loved_ living here with Chad, I still missed her. "Hello? Mom?"

"Sonny!" A calm feeling instantly spread through me at the sound of her voice. Isn't it funny how the one thing in the entire world that can both infuriate you and calm you down is your parents? Everyone wants to get away from them at some point in their lives, but they're also the first people that you want to talk to when something good happens. "How are you, sweetie?"

I brushed a strand of hair off of my forehead. "I'm fine! How are you, mom? Miss me yet?"

She sighed so loudly that I almost pulled the phone away from my ear. "I missed you the day you moved out, Sonny. But I'm glad that you're happy. So how's living with the boyfriend?"

The teasing in her voice was evident and I groaned. "Behave, Mom. No, but seriously, it's great. I really love it here, and Chad's house is so huge and nice. And I have my own room, and it's all done up how I like it. And I know that I had my own room over there too, but this one is so much bigger. Speaking of, how's the apartment? Quiet without me?"

My mother laughed. "So quiet. Listen, I know that it's pretty early, but I wanted to talk to you before I leave for work. How about we meet up for lunch today, just the two of us? We haven't talked in a while, and it'll give us a chance to catch up. I miss you, sweetie."

I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes. "Aww, mommy, I miss you too. And lunch today sounds _perfect_. How about I meet you at any restaurant of your choice at whatever time?"

It took my mom a minute to decipher what I had just said, but when she did I could hear the smile in her voice. "Very cute honey. Well, since it's up to me, how about we meet at 11:00 in front of Olive Garden? I know that it's a little early for lunch, but I want you to get back to the studios with plenty of time for rehearsal at 1:30. How does that sound, sweetie?"

Chad poked his head back in the room and cocked his head to the side, causing his bangs to fall into his eyes. He had told me that he was planning on cutting it a little shorter and getting rid of his bangs, but so far he hadn't made an appointment with his "personal hair dresser". Apparently, not everyone was allowed to touch his "perfect hair".

He mouthed _breakfast_ to me and then pointed at his watch. I immediately got the message and sighed sadly into the phone. "That sounds great mom. But listen, I have to go, because Chad says that if we don't eat right now, we'll be late for work. So I'll see you later, alright? Bye mom, I love you."

"Bye sweetie, love you too. See you at lunch. And have fun at work!"

I clicked off the phone and fell back against my pillows, throwing the handheld electronic on the bed beside me. Chad sighed and shook his head, but he ventured into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed on hand on my calf and squeezed gently, seizing my attention. "Yeah?"

"We should eat now, so that we don't run late. I'll get our food while you use the bathroom, okay? And don't take too long, or else our eggs will get cold."

I sat up straight in bed, my sudden movement almost comical. Chad jumped and waved his arms karate-style at me, but I just ignored him, lost in what he had been saying just moments before. "Eggs? You made eggs?" I didn't even wait for him to reply, instead throwing my arms around his neck and ruffling his hair affectionately. Eggs were one of my favourite breakfast foods (after pancakes, of course) and I hadn't had any in a long time; _at least_ since we had come back from Australia all of those weeks ago. "Thank you!"

He backed away from my hands and stood up, fixing his hair while he did so. "No problem. But hurry so that they don't get cold. Nothing is worse than cold eggs, right Shortstack?"

I grinned at the nickname (given to me based on my unhealthy love for pancakes) and bounced out of bed. I padded down the hallway to the bathroom and hip checked the door, stepping inside and closing it behind me. I had just finished use the toilet and was about to brush my teeth when I actually caught sight of how I looked in the mirror.

My hair was very slightly tousled, the sign of someone who was caught up in a deep sleep. Although I looked refreshed and bright, it was my choice of nightwear that had caught me off guard. I was decked out in a pale orange strapless dress, the full skirt hitting me right below the knee. I usually slept in a camisole and pyjama pants, so this struck me as odd.

It was only as I was brushing my teeth that I remembered everything that had happened last night, starting from the dinner and ending with me and Chad getting married. I was sure that somewhere in between there Tawni had been poking me in the dead of night too, but I wasn't sure if that was a dream or not.

I quickly changed out of my dress and into my pyjamas, making sure to scrape my curls into a high ponytail. I didn't want to get my clothes greasy while I was eating my egg, and I definitely wanted to keep my hair clean and food free. I wasn't exactly how neat and tidy I could be when scarfing down the food that I had been deprived of for so long – which was quite a dramatic way to put things, I admit. Chad must be contagious. I shook my head and opened up the bathroom door, almost skipping on my route to the dining room, I was so excited.

I plopped down into my chair and speared a chunk of scrambled eggs with my fork before stuffing it in my mouth, relishing the salty taste against my tongue. Across the table from me, Chad laughed and took a sip of his orange juice. When I looked at him, eyebrows furrowed and mouth chewing furiously, he just chuckled quietly and waved his hand in a loose gesture. "How do they taste?"

I swallowed my mouthful and grinned at him, making sure to reload my fork before I did anything else. "These taste so. Great."

He smiled and took another swig from his glass. "Thanks. So, what's up with you and your mom?"

I pushed aside my now-empty plate and brought my glass of milk to stand in front of me, absentmindedly circling my finger around the base. "She wants to catch up, so we're meeting up at Olive Garden for lunch today." I brought the glass up to my lips and took a sip, closing my eyes in delight as I felt the cool liquid rush down my throat. Something wasn't right though, and I brought my fingers up to my mouth in confusion. Milk was my favourite drink, and I usually had about three cups a day if I could manage it. But this particular glass of milk tasted…different, somehow.

"Sonny? Are you ok?"

Chad's voice broke me out of my reverie. I started and then quickly downed the glass of milk before smiling at him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Where was I? Right, my mom. We're gonna meet at 11:00 and then have lunch together."

Chad looked at me strangely. "You already said that. Are you _sure_ that nothing's wrong?"

I rolled my eyes. "Chad, I _told you_ that I'm fi – "

I was cut off by a sharp pain in my stomach and I lurched out of my chair, my frantic movements almost causing the structure to fall backward onto the floor. I dashed towards the bathroom and collapsed in front of the toilet, all just seconds before I brought back up my breakfast. And as delicious as those eggs tasted going down, they were absolutely _revolting_ when they were coming back up. As I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet, the only thought that was pulsing through my head was how happy I was that I had pulled my hair back before I had gone to breakfast, or else this have gotten seriously messy.

I felt hands holding my shoulders gently, and I was dimly aware of someone kissing the side of my head softly, but I was too busy retching to pay too much attention to this. After what felt like forever, I sat back and wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, keeping my eyes studiously trained on the pattern of the bathroom tiles. In all of the time that Chad and I had been dating, he had never once seen me like this, and I suddenly felt embarrassed.

He seemed to have read my thoughts, because me pulled me closer to him and enveloped me in a hug, his grip firm but, at the same time, gentle. "Sonny, this is nothing to be embarrassed about. Remember when I threw up on you? This is nothing compared to that." Panic suddenly washed across his face, as if he realized that I could throw up on him in any minute. "Wait, you don't feel sick again, do you?"

I shook my head and fought to be released from his grasp. He reluctantly let me go and I brushed my teeth, conscious of the fact that Chad was perched on the edge of the bathtub, watching me. He had already flushed the toilet, and as I rinsed my mouth out and spit, the only sound that could be heard in the whole room was the toilet tank refilling.

"Sonny, really, it's no big deal," he insisted, opening his arms and inviting me to sit on him. I lowered myself into his lap and rested my head against his chest, nervously twisting my fingers around each other. I looked up at his face and noticed the look that he got whenever something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?"

He looked pained. "Well, I was just wondering…are you sure that you want to go out to lunch with your mom? What if you get sick again? What if you _are_ sick?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, Chad, I'm fine, really. I can't cancel on my mom now, because she'd want to know why and I'll have to tell her that I threw up. Then she would worry, and I don't want to cause her all of that stress. Besides, I'm _sure_ that nothing is wrong with me. The milk tasted a little funny, and I drank it because it's my favourite drink, and that was probably why I threw up; you know how finicky my stomach can be."

Chad still didn't look too happy with the idea of me going out for lunch (given the circumstances) but I stuck out my bottom lip and batted my eyelashes, giving him the look that I knew he couldn't resist. Just like I knew he would, he closed his eyes in defeat and nodded his head slowly. "Fine…go on. But if you feel sick at any time _at all_, call me, ok?"

I pecked his lips and nodded, my ponytail dancing behind me. "Deal."

**

* * *

**

The heels on my brown leather boots struck against the tiled floor as I made my way over to the Mackenzie Falls set, my handbag slung over one shoulder. So far, the morning had gone great: rehearsal went off without a hitch, Tawni's new sketch was a big hit and I hadn't felt sick even _once_. Even the food that they were serving in the commissary was great today; actual pepperoni pizza and hot wings. If I hadn't been going out for lunch with my mother, I wouldn't have minded having food from the caf today.

Before I left, though, I was going to tell Chad that I was going. I know that I had told him about my plans this morning, but after my little episode earlier today, I knew that he would worry if he didn't hear from me. Besides, I knew that he loved the breadsticks from Olive Garden, and was going to ask him if he wanted me to bring back anything for him.

As I approached his dressing room door, I heard two male voices inside, having a heated discussion. One of them I recognized at Chad, and although the other sounded familiar, I couldn't place. It wasn't until I opened the door that I realized that it was Skyler. His face was flushed and his brown hair was standing shooting away from his head, not unlike how his character wore it in the show.

"Hey Chad, hey Sky – "

"_Do not say it_," he cut me off, pointing his finger at me.

I looked over at Chad, but he just shrugged and sat back in his chair, clearly exhausted. "What's going on?"

Chad closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. "_Skyler_ here decided that he wants everyone to call him Devon, even when we're not filming. I told him that it was stupid, but he keeps insisting. And now he won't even answer when we call him by his real name."

I walked over behind Chad's chair and rested my hands on his shoulders. "Is that true?" I asked the Mackenzie Falls actor who was standing across the room, his arms crossed and his mouth pushed in a pout. He looked up at me and nodded.

"I just feel like Portlyn and Penelope get so much more fame because their real life names are the names of their characters on the show, and no one even know who I am. So I've decided that I want to be called Devon from now on."

"Help him, please," Chad hissed. Skyler was clear across the room and didn't hear a word.

"Listen, _Devon,_" I said, clapping my hands together and using my super sugary voice. "I understand where you're coming from, really I do. There was a time when I felt that exact same way, and was thinking about having people call me Sicky Vicky instead of Sonny." I gesticulated wildly, sweeping my hands around the whole room. "But then I thought, well, that's pretty stupid. Because I _was _Sonny, and only played a character. The character isn't who you are, is it? Is it…Skyler?"

I wasn't sure if it would work, because even I thought that my fabricated story was laying it on a little thick. But Chad had once told me that before we were going out, Skylar had told him that he had a crush on me. Of course, Chad had liked me since back then, and Skyler had backed off. But even now, sometimes I thought that I had a little more control over my fiancé's best friend; that he had a little soft spot for me.

Luckily, it worked. Skyler hung his head and mumbled, "No, I guess you're right Sonny."

Chad looked at me, relief clear on his face and I smiled at him. Mission accomplished. "Thank you," he mouthed to me, and I kissed his cheek in response. Then I remembered why I was here and I stepped back, my hands still attached to Chad's shoulders.

"Hey, I'm heading out for lunch now with my mom, and I just stopped by to ask you if you wanted me to bring anything back for you," I said, playing with the ends of Chad's hair. He twisted his head back to look at me and shook his head. In his eyes, though, I saw an unasked question and I groaned inwardly. It was sweet that Chad was so worried about me, but hadn't I explained what had happened this morning already to him? "And yes, I'm fine, ok? Don't worry."

He sighed again. "I'm sorry, I just can't help it."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him, tenderly brushing my lips against his own. Then I stood back up, waved at Skyler and left the room, my purse bouncing against my hip as I walked the halls. I quickly made it to my car and hopped in, digging my key into the ignition as I strapped my seatbelt on. Like always, I turned on the radio and cranked it up loudly, filling the small confines of the car with lively pop music. Then, as I backed out of my parking space and sped down the highway, I sang along at the top of my lungs, having the time of my life.

I passed the entrance of Olive Garden on my way to the car park and saw my mother standing against the glass window, one foot tapping against the sidewalk. Her brown leather purse fell down her arm and she hiked it up until it rested on her shoulder once again. She looked so sweet and clueless, the wind blowing through her straight black hair. It wasn't as dark as mine was, but then again, her colour was natural and mine came out of a bottle.

When I had finished parking my car, I walked back to the restaurant and was nearly tackled by my mother. She almost knocked me off my feet and I swayed a little, grabbing hold onto her jacket to steady myself. "Hey mom."

"Hi sweetie!" She pulled away from me and gave me the once-over, her gaze travelling from my hair, all the way down to my toes and then back again. I saw her eyes widen a little when she saw my new hair colour, but the look passed quickly and she hugged me again. "You look great!"

I hooked my arm through hers and together we walked into the restaurant, chatting and catching up. People at the surrounding tables blatantly stared at me and I heard murmurs rippling through the crowd. Some tactless people in the back of the room were actually pointing at us, but we just ignored them.

After our food arrived, I was a little too busy stuffing my mouth to keep up a steady conversation with my mom. I shovelled forkful after forkful into my mouth, not exactly in a rude way, but still nonstop. The pasta was good, not too saucy or flavoured, but it was still a little too salty. Normally, it would have turned me off of food, but today I couldn't seem to get enough. My mother stared at me across the table, her eyebrows practically hiding behind her bangs, her fork raised to her mouth. By the time I was three or four forkfuls away from an empty plate, she wasn't even halfway finished her meal.

Finally I set my fork down in my empty plate and sat back in my chair, folding my hands neatly over my stomach. "What's wrong?"

"Hungry?"

I shrugged and took a sip of my water, the lemon slice that was bobbing between the ice giving it a slight sour tinge. A piece of ice tumbled from the mouth of the glass onto my tongue and I crunched it up, the extreme temperature irritating my teeth. "I guess so. But its lunchtime and I'm always hungry around lunchtime. Anyways, mom, we've talked so much about me since we started our lunch. How are you going? How's your job?"

She speared a ravioli with her fork and stuck it in her mouth, chewing slowly. A wisp of hair escaped from her barrette and she tucked it behind her ear with sure fingers. "How's my job? The same as it's always been: tiring. Did you know that I didn't even get home last night until 12:34 in the morning?"

I reached into the basket in the middle of the table and pulled out a breadstick, my eyes going wide at her piece of information. "12:34?" I asked in disbelief, nibbling on the thin stick in my hand. "Mom, that's so late! No no no, you need to go back home and get some rest!" She tried to argue with me, but even now I could see the purple bags underneath her eyes, almost like bruises. How had I not noticed them before? "We can catch up another day, really. But you need to go home and rest mom. Really. Call me any other day and we can make plans."

She sighed in defeat and hailed the waiter to come over. When he arrived, she smiled tentatively at him and gestured to the table. "We'll take the bill please," she said. The waiter nodded his head and disappeared behind a wooden side door, only to reappear a moment later, a leather envelope clutched in his hands. He handed the envelope to my mother and went off to help another customer across the room who was waving for him.

I was about to reach into me purse to find my wallet when I was stilled by the icy glare that my mother shot my way. "Sonny, you already insisted that I go home and rest, at least let me pay for lunch. This whole thing was my idea anyways."

I started to protest, but her expression made me feel that the less I said the better. I nodded mutely and she smiled in satisfaction, her features taking on a smug look. I rolled my eyes at this and felt compelled to add, "Just for today."

She shot me a look but didn't say anything, and in an instant the waiter was at our side. My mom handed him the envelope – now chock full of bills – and me disappeared again, probably in high demand around the room. Then, with our meals finished and paid for, my mother and I got up and walked out of the restaurant, still ignoring the gossip that was floating around us.

Outside, we hugged one more time and parted ways, me going to the Olive Garden car park and my mom heading in the opposite direction, towards the side road where she had left her car. We drove past each other as we left, honking our car horns to say goodbye to each other. As our windows lined up, I smiled to my mother and brought my hand up in a half wave, wiggling my fingers. She returned the gesture, her own smile a little more subdued than my own. Then she turned the corner and was gone.

As soon as I pulled into the studio parking lot, my cell phone trilled from the seat next to me. I wasn't going to check my texts while I was driving, so I quickly dipped into a parking spot and picked up the device, my fingers flying expertly over the keys. I opened up the test message and a grin instantly found its way onto my face as I scanned the words on my screen.

_Hey Sonny, just wanted to let you know that we're going to have our next wedding tonight. I just finished finalizing all of the plans, so I'm just letting you know __J__ Enjoy lunch with your mom – Chad_

My jaw dropped as I quickly dropped the phone back on the seat and reversed out of the parking space. As I drove up the lot towards my reserved spot, my mind was reeling. Chad had already gotten another wedding planned and ready? We had just gotten married last night! And yet, although I was almost disbelieving that Chad could set this up that quickly, I couldn't stop the excitement that was bubbling up in my stomach.

Because really….getting married to Chad five times _still _wasn't enough.

**

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**

I swiped a brush through my hair and checked my reflection in the mirror, pleased at how shiny and smooth my hair looked. I took a last once-over at my outfit and smiled, straightening my sweater over the waistband of my jeans. Chad had insisted that I dress casually for this wedding, because he said that the environment that we were getting married in wasn't exactly a formal place. In fact, he had even gone as far as to pick out a pair of washed out, form-fitting jeans and draped it across my bed, all but begging me to wear those. I had paired it with an aquamarine sweater and a black cami, dressing up the whole ensemble with dangly bracelets and (fake) diamond stud earrings.

"Sonny?" Chad knocked on my bedroom door lightly, his voice carrying through the slab of wood that separated us. "Are you ready yet?"

I took one last look in the mirror, flipped my hair over my shoulder and then, after a last minute thought, grabbed my thick silver ring off of my dresser and slipped it on my finger. I strode over to my bedroom door and flung it open, revealing a bored looking Chad Dylan Cooper on the other side. He was leaning against the wall, his head tilted upwards as he studied the ceiling. At the sound of my door opening, he brought his gaze down until it met mine, and smile stretched across his face.

"Ready?"

I nodded and took his hand, letting him lead me out of our house. He took me to his car and even opened up the passenger side door for me. I smiled at him and ducked inside, smoothing out my sweater once I had buckled myself in. He came around the front bumper and slid in beside me, using one hand to buckle his seatbelt and the other to start the car.

On the entire car ride to wherever we were going, Chad refused to answer any of my questions. I asked him what the plan for this letter was; he just turned on his indicator and switched lanes. I inquired where exactly he was taking me; he just caught my eye and smirked. Finally, just as I was about to ask him if we were there yet, he turned into a giant lot and all at once, noise bombarded my ears. People were shouting, children were screaming and cars were turning on and off, the rumbling of engines so concentrated that they were starting to get annoying.

"An amusement park? Chad, you brought me to an amusement park? What does this have to do with our wedding?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt and getting out of the car. The moment my foot touched ground, I knew that something was wrong. I looked down and saw a balled up wad of tissues pressed underneath my boot and I shuddered, pulling my foot back as if it were on fire. I was so much of a diva that I hated to be touched by random pieces of litter. The only thing that turned me off of this _particular_ napkin was that it was splattered in what looked like _blood_. As if some child had suffered a nosebleed and his parents couldn't care less where to find a garbage can, instead depositing it anywhere on the floor.

Chad appeared in front of me and held out his hand, which I gladly took and used to keep my balance as I sidestepped the disgusting piece of garbage. As we walked throughout the amusement park, hands clasped, I was pleased to note that all of the people around us were too preoccupied with having a good time to notice that we were among them. For what seemed like the first time in a long time, Chad and I were able to go out and enjoy ourselves without worrying about the paparazzi. Something which, I was slow to realize, was good, especially since this was the first time that Chad and I had ever had one of our weddings in a public place.

"Hey, Sonny?" Chad's voice broke through my thoughts and I looked up at him. "What do you say to that?"

I followed the direction that his finger was pointing and saw a tent full of stuffed toys of varying sizes, all strung up and smiling down at us. In the middle of all of the madness stood a man, the top of his head covered by a wide brimmed hat. He was grinning at us, juggling one ball in his hand as he waited for my answer.

I nodded and Chad grinned, holding out a five dollar bill to the man. "I really only need one shot for this one," he said, taking the ball from the man and squinting one eye as he focused on the tower of bottles. "But I'll pay for the whole thing, and you can keep the change. I'm feeling generous today." With that, he launched the ball out of his hand and I watched, mesmerized, as it sliced through the air. After what felt like only two seconds, it made contact with the bottles, causing the tower to collapse with a loud _crash! _and Chad's smirk to deepen.

The man looked from Chad to his fallen bottles. "I have never seen anyone beat this game so quickly," he said, admiration lacing his words. "How did you do it?"

"Because Chad Dylan Cooper can do anything," he answered, a smug undertone to his words. "Now Sonny, which one do you want?"

I studied the display thoroughly, even bring my index finger up to tap in my chin thoughtfully. I was going to ask for the chocolate brown lion cup when a flash of caramel caught my eye. "The platypus!" I declared, pointing as to help the man identify it. He took it off of the shelf and handed the toy to me, which I then crushed against my body. With a full blown grin on my face, I turned to my boyfriend and said, "Thanks Chad! Look how cute Mr. Huggsnuggles is!"

"Huggsnuggles? Really, Sonny? Really?"

I held him tighter against my chest, protective of my platypus. "Yes! And stop being so mean to our child, Chad! He can hear you!"

He rolled his eyes, but I could have already seen the sparkle that appeared when I had called the toy our child. I stuck my tongue out at him and backed away, Mr. Huggsnuggles tucked carefully underneath my arm. Unfortunately, my heel caught on a slanted piece of concrete and I stumbled, my arms flailing wildly. A strong grip caught me and I smiled up at Chad, who was now so close to me that I could smell his delicious scent. I tilted my face up and kissed him, smiling as he deepened it.

A middle aged man passed by with his wife, who was chortling beside him. "Oh, get a room, you kids!" he called out as he stepped by us, his hand clapping Chad heartily on the back.

We separated and I could _feel_ the blush decorating my cheeks. Chad looked completely unabashed and checked his watch, his eyes widening as he registered what time it was. Without a word, he grabbed my hand and pulled me and Mr. Huggsnuggles towards the seemingly endless line for the ferris wheel. However, he didn't just wait at the end of the line, instead pushing past everyone until we were at the front. People grumbled all around us, but Chad paid them no attention, keeping his eyes trained on the prize.

The man in charge of the ride stepped up, his arms crossed menacingly over his chest and I gulped. But when he saw Chad, his scowl turned into a smile and he waved us forward until we were right beside him. "Hey man! Just on time. Your car is right here."

He ushered us over to a bright pink car and we stepped inside. It wasn't like a usual ferris wheel, where the car was small with just enough room for two people to squeeze in. These cars were big, with doors and windows. Kind of like a cable car at a skiing resort, only in assorted colours.

I settled into my seat and put Mr. Huggsnuggles beside me, right in between me and Chad. I was just admiring the inside of the car when I spotted Frank sitting on the cushions opposite us, his ever present Holy Bible resting on his lap. I let out a squeak and looked over at Chad, who was taking this whole scene in with satisfaction evident in his expression.

"**F is for Ferris Wheel**," he said simply.

I thought this over and smiled, relaxing instantly. "Hi Frank!"

"Hello Sonny," he answered, looking at me kindly. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by Chad clearing his throat. "Well then, let's get this show on the road, shall we? Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," I said, flashing a brilliant smile at Chad.

"And do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

Frank closed his Bible with a snap. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Our kiss wasn't as long as usual, and Chad was the first to pull back. I looked up at him and pouted, but he only took my hand and shushed me, his finger resting gently against my lips. I followed his gaze to the night sky above and watched in awe as fireworks shot off, dazzling the dark with their bright colours. I opened my mouth to ask what the occasion was, and why the amusement park people were setting off fireworks now.

Just then, they exploded in the air, shouting out in a burst of colour, _CDC loves SM_.

I stared at him, his face illuminated by the various colours of the rainbow. I was so touched, and couldn't think of a single thing to say. So instead, I closed the gap between us and kissed him again, his declaration hanging in the air behind us.

* * *

**So, I wasn't sure if I made this clear, but Chad was rushing things because the fireworks were timed for a schedule, and he wanted the wedding to finish before then.**

**Anyways, so, I'm still on the lookout for weddings, so keep them coming! I really appreciate them!**

**And please review! They make me really happy :)**


	9. G is for Grocery

**Waoooooooow...I'm just giving you guys a heads up: this one is long! It's over 7000 words, which is a good 2000 words over the usual length of the Chapters for this story. It wasn't really planned, it just happened that way. My fingers couldn't stop moving across the keyboard haha :)**

**Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this Chapter. It's a little different from all of the others, but in a completely normal and fine way (does that even make any sense?)**

**So everytime that I write a Chapter of this story, I always have one song playing on repeat as I type. Like, for the Eloping Chapter, it was "Me, Myself and Time", and for the Ferris Wheel, it was "Wouldn't Change a Thing". Do you guys know what this Chapter was (not that most of you would care haha)? It was "We'll Be A Dream" by We The Kings and Demi Lovato. And yes, all of the songs that I listen to while writing this story have Demi in them. Because her vocal chops are _amazing!_**

**That was your random piece of author information for the day haha ^^_  
_**

**Also, I just wanted to shout out and give thanks to **MonkeyGirlxoxo** for all of her amazing rhyming skills! You guys will see what I mean shortly. So without further ado, I present to you, Chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC or Lindt**

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Chapter 9

_G is for Grocery_

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Tawni watched in disgust as I piled my plate high with three slices of piping hot pizza. The cheese, melted to perfection, dripped off of the sides and pooled around in my plate, sending the warm steam to swirl around my face. I closed my eyes and breathed in the sweet scent of my dinner, the pineapples decorating my slices like yellow jewels.

"Whoa, take it easy there, Sonny," she said, wrinkling her nose delicately.

I slurped a bit of my strawberry banana smoothie and regarded her with one eyebrow raised. "What are you talking about, Tawni?" I asked, setting my cup down on the table. Instead of picking up one of my slices of pizza, I balanced a hot wing between my thumb and forefinger and took a hearty bite, the suicide sauce burning my tongue. I puckered up my face for a short second and then came back for more, welcoming the pepper dancing around in my mouth.

Across the table from me, Nico and Grady looked at our exchange, their mouths agape. Our pizza had only arrived five minutes ago, and yet they were already halfway finished with their second slices. Zora was the only one who didn't seem fazed by my eating habits, keeping her attention on the ketchup that she was squeezing all over her dinner.

Grady cleared his throat nervously while Nico munched on his slice of pizza next to him. "Sonny, you know that we love you, but isn't your plate a little…full? Every other pizza night that we've ever had, you've only eaten one slice of the pie, and about four hot wings."

Tonight was our monthly pizza night, and our whole cast had met at Pizza Shack and sat down at our usual table. When we had been younger, we had gotten together for pizza every week, but as the years passed by, our outings had diminished until we decided to meet up only once a month. And this was our first pizza night since we had all gotten back from Australia, which had been a while ago.

I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut off by Nico's high pitched shriek. We all turned to him, and Tawni slapped her hand over her mouth, trying to hold in her giggle. Nico has sitting back, his hat askew on her head. He was holding a piece of pineapple and staring at it accusingly, his eyes narrowed.

"Stupid pineapple," he muttered, flinging it to the edge of his plate.

We all started to laugh and I almost choked on my mouthful of pizza. Grady started to double check his own slices and Tawni just pushed her plate aside and started to check her makeup in her compact mirror. Zora finished up on her slice and reached out to the pan to take another, which she ate sans the ketchup this time.

I shifted my plate to the side and the chicken bones clattered against each other. "I'm just going to head to the bathroom," I announced, pushing my chair back and standing up.

Tawni raised her eyebrows at me. "Sonny, this is the third time that you're going to the bathroom in the hour that we've been here. Are you ok?"

I bobbed my head up and down, my black hair bouncing against my shoulders. "I'm fine, Tawni. I just had a little too much to drink, that's all. It's no big deal; I'll be right back."

I walked over to the bathroom and bumped my hip against the heavy door, pushing it open. I stepped inside and wrinkled my nose at the scene that greeted me: stained walls and strips of toilet paper coating the floor. It had definitely gotten worse since I had last been here, and it was _disgusting_. I quickly used the toilet and then washed my hands, pausing in front of the sink to fix my hair. I pulled the ponytail holder off of my wrist and gathered my hair back in a high ponytail, leaving my bangs out to fall over one eye. Then, satisfied, I smiled at myself in the mirror and left the bathroom.

When I arrived back at our table, I was completely floored to see that our table had three new additions. I slid back into my seat and ended up being sandwiched between Kevin and Nick Jonas. Tawni had switched seats with Nico and Grady so that she was across from me, and Joe was at her side, his arm slung over the back of her chair. He had gotten a haircut since the last time that I had seen him, and had stopped wearing his contacts as often, opting instead to go with his black rimmed glasses. Tawni had one hand wrapped around his arm, her well-manicured nails sparkling. Sometimes I felt that every colour of nail polish that Tawni owned was equipped with sparkles, because her nails seemed to glitter every single day.

"Oh, hey you guys," I said, picking up one of my slices of pizza. I ripped the slice in half and pulled off all of the cheese, sending a burst of steam up into the air. "What are you doing here?"

"Tawni invited us," Joe said, grabbing a hot wing from the box in the middle of the table. He put it on a plate and then reached into the pizza pan, his hands emerging seconds later with a slice of pizza between his fingers. "She said that we were going on a pizza night."

I sent a glance Tawni's way, my eyebrows raised. "Really? Well that's cool. Maybe next month I can invite Chad along, then."

Something flashed through Nick's eyes, but I couldn't put my finger exactly on what it was. "So, you guys are still together?" he asked quietly, keeping his eyes trained on his plate. He was nervously fingering his chicken bones, tapping them against the ceramic plate in front of him.

I nodded my head enthusiastically, licking the grease from the cheese off of my fingers. Everyone looked at me as I swallowed and I self-consciously patted the corners of my mouth with a napkin before continuing. "I mean, yeah, we're still together. Actually, right now we're planning our wedding. Or really, trying to plan it," I said. I broke the rest of my pizza into small pieces, which I then popped into my mouth.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked, detaching his arm from Tawni's grip. Nico and Grady snickered until he rested it on the back of her chair, across her shoulders. The look in Tawni's hazel eyes made them shut up, and they busied themselves with their soda, draining half of the cup in one pull.

"I'm surprised that Tawni didn't already tell you," I answered, waving the crust of my pizza in the air as I spoke. I paused to take a bite out of it before I resumed my actions, everyone chuckling at me. "I thought that she would have."

"You mean the bet? Oh yeah, Tawni told me about that already. But I thought that you'd be done by now."

My eyes widened and I dropped the rest of my pizza crust onto my plate. "Done? How could we be done by now? We've only reached….well, about two weeks ago, we got married on a ferris wheel."

"For what? F?"

I nodded my head and brushed my bangs out of my eyes, tucking them behind my ear.

"Well," Joe continued. "When I said that I thought that you would be done by now, I meant that I thought that Chad would try to find a way to have like, a wedding a day."

"Why?" Zora asked, the first word that she's spoken since I'd come back from the bathroom. She pushed her plate aside and fixed her stare on Joe, folding her hands on the tabletop. Her fringe fell in front of her eyes, but she didn't lift a hand. She simply shook her head to the side slightly, and her vision cleared.

"Because…well, I just thought that he wouldn't be able to wait to marry Sonny. I mean, you could see it in the way that he looks at her; he's completely smitten. So I just thought that he would have made those trial run things last as short as possible as then have had the actual wedding." Joe said all of this causally, as if he were talking about the weather. As if his words weren't making the butterflies in my stomach all excited and frenzied. He had no way of knowing what his little speech had meant to me, although I felt that the colour of my cheeks would have been a clear indication, had he looked at me.

Nick pushed back his chair so suddenly that the legs resisted, screeching against the tile shrilly. "I've got to go to the bathroom," he said shortly, and left without another word. We looked at his retreating back and I felt the butterflies in my stomach act up again, although with a _much_ different motivation this time.

Kevin was the one to speak up first, his voice sympathetic. "Don't mind him, you guys. He's still a little hurt, that's all. I don't think that he ever got over his crush on Sonny, and Joe's little speech back there didn't exactly help matters any. Just give him some time to cool off and he'll come around."

We all nodded, but a voice in the back of my mind was sounding very doubtful. Even though Nick had liked me ever since we met, I had never led him on at all, already being together with Chad at that time. And I had ignored any advances that he had made, reminding him time and time again that I already had a boyfriend. I thought that if he didn't get it by now, he probably never would. And that was a shame, because he was actually a really nice guy when he wasn't trying to steal me from my fiancé.

"Well, actually, he really takes his time with these trial runs. I think that he wants to make sure that they're perfect, because he gets all stressed before we have our wedding, especially if something goes wrong," I added, remembering how upset he was when his thieves had flaked on him during our _Aladdin_ themed wedding.

Tawni brought her hand up to her chest, her eyes shining. "That's so sweet!"

I was about to reply when I saw Nick coming back from the bathroom, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head down. Wanting to steer the conversation back to as safe a topic as I could, I turned my tone jokey and said, "So, next time we have a pizza night, Tawn, our cast and Chad?"

Just as soon as Nick took his seat, all of my cast mates started to laugh, their protests mingling together and becoming a group grumble. Nick seemed to be in a better mood, because he smiled and looked around the table, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out what the joke was. "What's going on, you guys?"

Joe raised one eyebrow at his girlfriend, who was doubled over and laughing so hard that she seemed to be having trouble getting her words out. "I'm not sure," he said. He lifted his arm off of Tawni's shoulders and poked her gently in the arm. "Tawn, what are you laughing about?"

She sobered up and brushed one curl away from her face, her lips twisted into a teasing smirk. "I think that we _all _agree that we don't want Chad to join us next month for pizza night," she said, gesturing around the table. Before I could even ask why, she ploughed on. "Because the whole point of pizza night is for our cast to enjoy some time together and eat pizza. And if Chad were to come…well, no one would really be enjoying their pizza."

"Why not?" Kevin asked, setting his balled up napkin down on the table.

"Because," Nico cut in, repositioning his hat. "Because Sonny and Chad are way too lovey-dovey. They're always kissing, or holding hands or just being too coupley. And that, my friends, makes us sick!" He said the last sentence with a smile on his face, letting me know that he wasn't trying to be mean.

I laughed along with them, my cheeks turning a rose colour. It was true what he had said; we did tend to act coupley whenever we were together. But it's not like anyone could blame us for being that way. We wouldn't have been engaged if we didn't love each other.

I took a sip of my smoothie, pinching the straw between my fingers as I pulled up the beverage. I was almost finished my drink, so all that I got was a mouthful of strawberry seeds, which I hated. I stuck my tongue out, trying to forget the feel of the little pellets running down my throat, and set my cup back on the table. While doing so, I caught sight of my watch and gasped in surprise. "You guys! I should go home now. It's pretty late, and I want to spend some time with Chad before I go to sleep."

Everyone rolled their eyes except Nick, although his did seem to darken. He fixed his gaze on me as I got up and hung my purse in the crook of my elbow, waving to everyone as I passed. I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out a wad of money, pre-counted and folded together. Every single time we had a pizza night, the cost was the same. Since we already knew how much money our dinner had cost, we were able to divide the price equally every single month, and I dropped my share on the table now. "Bye guys!"

Once I had settled down in my car, I heaved a huge sigh of relief and started to head home, my bright coloured purse occupying the passenger side seat next to me. I was concentrating on the road, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't help thinking about Nick. He had seemed so uncomfortable and upset while we were talking about Chad, and even thought I felt sorry for him, I also thought that it served him right. After all, he did know that Chad and I were engaged, and if he chose to not move on, that was his call. But he couldn't expect me to not act like I was in love with Chad, because I was. And after all of the times that he tried to break us up last year, he also couldn't expect any sympathy from me either.

Before I knew it, I had reached home. I pulled into our garage and stepped out of the car, making sure to lock it before I ventured inside. My ballet flats were silent as I tiptoed through the house trying to find Chad, and I mentally praised myself for deciding to leave the heels up in my closet for once. I wanted to sneak up on Chad and jump him from behind – something that I had always wanted to try, but the opportunity never arose. Now was the perfect time though, and I was definitely going to take advantage of that.

I finally found him standing at a counter in the kitchen, making a sandwich. A bag of lettuce was opened next to him, and sliced up tomatoes decorated his plate, half lying out of the bread. I stifled a snicker and crept up behind him, my knees bent and ready to pounce. But before I could even leave the ground, Chad raised a single finger up over his shoulder. "Don't even, Sonny," he said, his voice making it clear to me that he was trying not to laugh.

I sighed again and stomped around to the other side of the counter, crossing my arms and perching on a stool. "How'd you know?"

He picked up half of his sandwich. "I smelt you. I can always smell you. Actually, I smell you before I see you sometimes. First I get hit by this wave of vanilla and strawberries, and then you step through the door, looking all cute and stuff." He shrugged and took a bite, a leaf of lettuce falling out of his mouth.

I smiled and grabbed the other half of his sandwich. I had just finished eating my pizza so I wasn't exactly hungry yet, but I was feeling a little peckish. I ripped off a corner of the bread and dropped it onto my tongue, welcoming the dry taste. Usually I hated when my bread was too dry, always insisting that anything I eat be lightly coated in butter first. But strangely enough, the dry bread was just what I needed right then.

I put down the sandwich and plucked the other half from Chad's hands. He frowned at me, his mouth still full of food, but I just linked our hands together and led him into the living room, stopping in front of our couch. I slipped my feet out of my shoes and gestured for him to sit down first, waiting patiently as he lowered himself onto the seat. Then I sat next to him and stayed still for a moment, ignoring Chad's questioning gaze.

"Sonny, what are you doing?"

I brought my legs up onto the cushion beneath me and lay down, my head against the armrest. I stretched my legs out and draped them over Chad, whose hand was still entwined with my own. I repositioned myself so that I was more comfortable and rested my cheek against my palm, creating my own makeshift pillow. I heard a rustling behind me, and then felt two arms wrap themselves around my waist and join together in the front, hands clasped.

"Sonny," Chad said into my hair, his voice soft.

I turned my head around as kissed him slowly, keeping our mouths connected for as long as I could before I turned away. I stared back into the fire burning in front of us, sending heat throughout the whole room. A fireplace was one of my favourite things in this world, and I could just look at a live fire for hours on end. Provided, of course, that I had something to do, like music to listen to or a fiancé to snuggle with.

"So, I saw Nick today," I said quietly, playing with his fingers. I twisted them around each other, undoing and then redoing the limited patterns that I could make. When I said those five words I felt him stiffen, and I knew that he still remembered all of the trouble that Nick had caused.

He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "And what did you guys do?"

The flames danced in front of me, battling to see who could raise the highest. I stared, completely transfixed as I tried to put the evening in words. "Well Tawni invited him and his brothers to our pizza night, I guess because she wanted to spend some time with Joe. And then we got to talking about you, and our bet and our wedding, and he got upset because of something that Joe said. So he went to the bathroom all in a huff, and Kevin said that he still had a crush on me."

At this, Chad stiffened even more, and I gripped his fingers tighter. He relaxed into my hand and I snuggled closer to him, continuing with my story. "So then, when Nick came back to the table he seemed fine, until I said that I had to leave because I wanted to spend some time with you. Then his eyes darkened. But I don't want you to worry Chad, really. Because even though I know that he still loves me, I don't like him like that at all."

Chad scoffed. "Me, get worried because of that? I'm Chad Dylan Cooper, and I'm _way_ hotter than Nick Jonas. I have nothing to be worried about."

I sighed. "Seriously though. I love you."

His tone softened. "I know. I love you too, Sonny."

He tightened his hold around my waist and I relaxed into him, our bodies flush against each other. The fire gave off a warmth that saturated the air around us, and I felt completely calm and safe, being with Chad like that. I enfolded my leg between both of his and together we lay like that until morning.

**

* * *

**

"Good morning Tawni!"

I stepped into our dressing room and draped my purse over the back of my vanity chair, not slowing my pace at all. Tawni, who had been seated in front of her own vanity, twisted around in her chair to look at me, a glint present in her eye that I wasn't sure that I liked.

"Hey Sonny, I got something for you," she said, standing up and crossing the room. She stopped in front of the couch and sat down dramatically, pulling her own purse onto her lap. "Now if only I could find it," she added under her breath, rifling through the contents of her bag.

I sat next to her and started to play with my rings, nervous. Tawni was my best friend, but she hardly ever got me presents, especially for no reason. The last spontaneous gift that she had gotten me was last year, when she bought me a shirt to wear on one of my dates with Chad. And since we were way past the fighting to impress Chad stage, I couldn't help wondering just what it was that she had gotten me.

"Here it is!" she cried out, extracting her hands from her purse with vigour. She held a box out to me, her hand covering the name of the product. I looked at her strangely and took the package in my own hand, my eyes widening when I saw what it was.

"Tawni! A pregnancy test? Why would you get me this?"

My best friend plopped her bag back on the table in front of us and looked at me as if I was completely clueless. "Because, Sonny, you _are_ pregnant. So just take this test and let's make it official!"

I stood up so suddenly that my necklaces clanged against each other, the only sound in an otherwise empty room. Tawni was looking up at me, her eyes shining with excitement. When she noticed my expression, the shine dimmed, quickly becoming replaced with confusion. "What makes you so sure that I'm pregnant?"

She stood up too, facing me squarely, the sound of her own necklaces mixing in with mine. "Because Sonny, you are. Listen to the facts, ok? You need to use the bathroom a lot, you eat _huge_ amounts of food, you've thrown up – and don't even try to deny it, because Chad was worried about you and asked me to keep an eye on you and see if you were sick. Besides, when was the last time that you even had your monthly visit from our dear Aunt Flo?"

I listened to her reasoning without a word, the truth slowly beginning to dawn on me. By the time that Tawni had uttered her last question I had fallen onto the couch, holding my face in my hands. Of course she was right; I hadn't had my period in the longest while. I had just been so preoccupied with all of the weddings and the excitement that I hadn't even realized that I had skipped this month. And last month. "Oh my God."

Tawni sat next to me and gripped my arm in a comforting manner. "This is a good thing. A great thing! Now I can have a little niece or nephew, and you'll be a _great_ mother, Sonny. Why don't you go and take a test, and we'll wait for the results together, ok?"

I was positive (no pun intended) that I didn't need to take a test, but I gamely unwrapped the box and held it in my hand. "Tawni, how come you bought two tests? Don't tell me you and Joe….!"

She laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Not even, Sonny. But it was a buy one get one free, and they were already packaged together so I just took them like that. Besides, never know when we'll need another one, right? Especially with you and Chad," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I smacked her arm. "Now go to the bathroom and let's do this thing!" she cried out happily, shoving me out the door.

I went into the bathroom and took the test, feeling as if I was in a daze the whole time. I couldn't believe that I was pregnant…_pregnant!_ Me, Sonny Munroe, with child. I was excited, I couldn't lie about that. My whole life I had dreamed of finding the right man and having kids, but now that it was happening so soon, I was also a little nervous. Well, maybe not a little nervous…more like a lot nervous.

I slowly made my way back to our dressing room and held up my hand to stop Tawni, who was bouncing over to me like an overexcited rabbit. "I still have two more minutes left until it says whether I am or not," I said, sidestepped her and collapsing on the couch. She followed behind me, and even though she was sitting down, her legs couldn't keep from bouncing. She kept squeaking and squealing, and once she even leaned over and hugged me for a second. Then she realized what she was doing and backed away as if I had burnt her.

I finally checked my watch, and my mouth went dry. I couldn't check; what if it said negative? Tawni had been so sure, I had been so sure that I had built my hopes up. If we were wrong, it would just break me. Wordlessly, I held the stick out to my cast mate and she took it from me, seeming to understand. She squeezed my arm reassuringly and then checked the stick, her eyes staring for a long time. Her mouth dropped open, but no sound came out.

"Tawni?"

All at once, she let out a shrill shriek, not unlike Nico's the night before. She dropped the test on the floor and jumped up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. I knew what her reaction meant, but I just had to be 100% sure. I got down on my knees and peered at where the stick had fallen under the table, face up. I took one look at it and felt all of the air leave my lungs.

Positive.

* * *

I was excited to tell Chad about the baby. Completely, totally and fully excited. Except that there was a hint of nervousness in the mix too. But really, any pregnant 20 year old TV star would be nervous when it came time to tell her fiancé that she was carrying his child, isn't that right?

Because Chad had the day off today (Mackenzie Falls had already finished filming their seventh season, and they had a couple of days off before they began on their eighth) I wasn't able to tell him the news while at the studios today. And I obviously wasn't going to tell my cast mates before I told my fiancé; the only one who knew was Tawni, and that was because she had bought me the test in the first place.

Of course, news like this wasn't acceptable to share over the phone, so I wasn't able to call him. And Marshall was being very tight on our schedule these days. He was trying to wrap up our season as soon as possible to compete with Mackenzie Falls, which was why I couldn't even sneak back home to talk to Chad. The only time that I could let him know about our baby was after work, when I went back home. This was where I was now, but there was just one small problem: I couldn't find Chad anywhere. I had left him at home when I went to work this morning, and I had assumed that I would find him at home when work was finished.

Obviously, I was wrong.

The house was deathly silent as I stepped into the foyer, everything motionless and still as I continued through the rooms. Chad was nowhere to be found; in fact, it looked as if no one had even been in the house all day. Everything was just as I had left it this morning, slightly ruffled but more or less presentable. The dishes were done, the TV remote had not been moved and the blanket was just draped over the back of the couch, just as it had been last night.

"Chad?" Silence answered my calls and a huge knot formed in my stomach. Where could he be? He hadn't even called or texted me all day, and he never mentioned any possibility of him disappearing when I was leaving for the studios this morning. "Chad?"

I padded into the kitchen and found a white piece of notebook paper resting on the counter, folded in half. My name was on the front in what I recognized as Chad's handwriting and I grabbed it as if it were a life preserver. I just held it in my hands, relief spreading through my veins. If he had left a note, then he was ok. I breathed a sigh and opened up the paper, a large grin spreading across my face as I soaked in the words.

_Sonny,_

_**G is for Grocery**__. I know that this seems a little weird, but trust me, when this whole game is over, it'll make lots more sense. Now, the rules of this game are really simple. Just head down to our regular grocery and find the notes that are attached to certain foods. Keep going until you find the last clue. When you've finished buying all of the items that the clues were pointing at, come back home and a surprise will be waiting for you. Have fun, Sonny. _

_Love you,  
Chad_

I refolded the note and tucked it into my pocket, already heading back for the car. As I slipped in behind the wheel and started towards the grocery down the road, I couldn't help but make up possible surprises that Chad had for me. Maybe he had already found out about the baby, and he was going to tell me that he was happy. Or maybe he had gotten a movie deal, and so we were going to move away temporarily. Or maybe he had decided that traditional weddings were best, and he wanted to stop the bet right now.

Surprisingly, my heart fell as I thought of that last one. Even though all of these weddings were not exactly what I had pictured, everything that Chad had done for me so far was perfect. And even if he ended up winning the bet, I didn't really care anymore. Just being able to get married to Chad 26 times was enough to hold me over until our real wedding, no matter what it was.

I pulled into the grocery parking lot and slid my car into one of the spots closest to the door. The whole parking lot was empty, save for my car and a small black hatchback further down the way, a good few feet away from me. I walked across the bare tarmac, my steps animated, and I could feel every rock and grain of asphalt under my feet. Ever since I had found out that I was pregnant, I was wary to walk around in heels, so my feet were clad in sparkly ballet flats. The soles were thin though, which was why nothing on the ground was left to my imagination.

There was a single man at the entrance to the grocery, his hands folded behind his back in a professional manner. When he saw me approaching, he dropped his hands to the sides and took a step forward to meet me halfway. "Miss. Munroe, welcome! Mr. Cooper had rented out the whole store for your convenience, so please don't worry about keeping any other customers back."

I nodded my head in thanks and made a move to step into the store further. The automatic door _swooshed_ open, but the clerk cleared his throat and I stopped in my tracks. After a moment, the door closed back, cutting off the steady stream of air condition that had been hitting me. I turned around and he smiled at me, holding out a folded piece of paper. "Mr. Cooper said to give you this."

I smiled in return, my grin so wide that my cheeks started to hurt. The clerk chuckled and handed me the letter, turning and disappearing into the store before I could even unfold the paper. There, in Chad's messy scrawl, was the following note:

_To start this game off, I'll be nice_  
_Go and pick up a bag of rice_

I looked the words over once again to make sure that I was reading this correctly and then ran inside, grabbing a hand basket en route to the rice aisle. The grocery was completely silent, scarily so, and I felt a surge of thrill run through me. Except for the clerk who had handed me the first clue, no one else was here at all. All of the aisles were fully devoid of people, something that I had never seen before in my entire life.

I reached in the rice aisle and saw endless bags of the grain, stretching from the beginning of the row all the way to the end. One of these bags had to have a clue on them though, so I started from the left and scoured each item, searching their surface for a folded piece of paper. Finding nothing, I turned on my heel and worked my way back up, looking at all of the bags on the right this time. A flash of white caught my eye and I all but pounced, grabbing the note in triumph. I picked the sack of rice up and put it in the basket at my feet, picking it to the side while I opened the note.

_Our next stop is in the veggie aisle,_  
_I hope the colours will make you smile_

My brows furrowed as I scanned the page again. Obviously, these clues were going to get harder as I went along, but I didn't really mind. I was having fun trying to figure these things out and get the food. And of course, just knowing that Chad cared enough about me to go through all of this trouble made this whole thing one thousand times better.

I stopped as soon as I arrived in the produce section, fruits and vegetables lying before me. Chad had specifically said that the next clue would be on a veggie, so that meant that I could eliminate all of the fruits from my search. That made me feel a little closer to the answer, but I still couldn't figure out what the second part of the rhyme had to do with anything. Colours that would make me smile? Chad knew that I liked pretty much any bright colour, so that didn't really narrow anything down.

On a whim, I made my way over to the peppers, an alarm bell going off in the back of my mind. If there was one vegetable that I knew came in a variety of colours, it was peppers. I once had a dish in a restaurant where almost half of the meal was peppers, but the chef had arranged it so that the chunks looked like different foods. It didn't really fool me though, if only because the blocks of yellow, green, red and orange all tasted exactly the same.

Sure enough, there was a little note taped to a green pepper, the stark white totally contrasting with the forest colour. I pulled two green peppers out from the display and rested them on top of the bag of rice before detaching the note. On the front fold there was a little hand drawn arrow pointing to the right and I turned to find another display, this time of red peppers. A light bulb went off in my head as I realized what Chad had meant about the colours making me smile. Red and green: Christmas, which was, of course, my favourite holiday. I chuckled quietly to myself and plucked two more peppers from the pyramid to put in my basket. Then I opened up the note, eager to move onto my next clue.

_The next item is filled with protein_  
_Remember yesterday you dropped some on your jeans?_

I tried to think back to what had happened yesterday, which wasn't exactly an easy feat. I had to sift through all of the excitement so far from the day, but I wracked my brain and finally remembered. Chad had been eating a bowl of rotisserie chicken before I had left for pizza night, and I had been already dressed and set to go. Before leaving though, I had reached into his bowl, intent on having just a taste before I met my friends for dinner. Of course, since the chicken was steaming hot I dropped it, and it had handed right on my left thigh, leaving a big, blotchy grease stain. Which then meant that I had to change out of my jeans, resulting in me being just a _tiny_ bit late for pizza night.

I grabbed a bag and used it as a glove as I took the chilled chicken breast out of the freezer. I had taken the package underneath the one with the note on it, because I refused to touch raw meat; it just disgusted me. I ripped the note off the food as I tied the bag shut and added it to the growing pile in my basket. I was beginning to think that I should have taken a shopping cart instead, but it would have much slower to have to push one of those around.

By the time I found the snow peas and chicken broth, I was half an hour into this game and growing more excited by the minute. The latest note that Chad had left for me read:

_Go to the freezer to find a big tub,_  
_It is easily recognizable by a white cub_

I knew exactly what this was before I had even finished reading and took off, the basket bumping against my leg as I raced through the aisles. I finally came to a stop in front of the ice cream, and I immediately found the giant carton of vanilla ice cream, a polar bear cub adorning the lid. I gingerly lifted it out of the freezer and placed it in my basket, making sure to rip off the note before straightening up. Excitement rippling through me, I opened up the note and eagerly read the words, anxious to get to the next clue.

_Head to the fruits to find the next treat,_  
_Monkeys love to eat it, especially with their feet_

The word _monkey_ was what sold me, and I made a beeline for the bananas. Sure enough, there was a note taped to the ripest looking bunch, and I smiled, feeling proud of myself. But as I bagged the bunch of bananas and laid them between the ice cream and the peppers, I couldn't help but wonder what all of these random food items were for. I shook the thought out of my head and unfolded the paper, ready for whatever came next.

_This dairy product is creamy and light_  
_You love to eat it when you just had a fight_

Obviously it wasn't ice cream, since that treat was already melting away in my basket. When I had a fight? Whenever I was sad, I liked to have a big bowl of ice cream drenched in chocolate syrup. But chocolate syrup wasn't a dairy product, and it was neither creamy nor light. I got a sudden brainwave and held up one finger excitedly. Whipped cream! I always cover my ice cream in a mound of whipped cream whenever I'm sad, and that must be what Chad was talking about here!

The diary section was a long way away from the fruits and veggies, and my basket was really weighing me down now. I kicked it along the floor, not having the energy to pick it up, and leaned against a nearby wall, resting my shoulders and legs. This exercise was as tiring as it was fun…which was to say _very_. After a few minutes I pushed off of the wall and made my way over to the refrigerated section, rhythmically pushing my basket across the tiles in front of me.

In one fluid motion I plucked the can of whipped cream from the rack in front of me and dropped it into the basket, detaching the note as I did so. When I saw what the last clue said, I groaned and face palmed myself, mentally cursing Chad.

_The next item will be the last stop,_  
_Go find a red fruit that will be placed on top_

_PS – Sonny, Frank wants to know if you'll take me for your lawfully wedded husband. He says if yes, bring him back a nice Lindt chocolate bar, orange flavoured if they have._

_Of course_ Chad would send me all the way back from where I came from just go get the last item. Or actually, the second to last item, because I still needed to get Frank's chocolate. Luckily, I knew that I could pick those up on my way to cashier, which wasn't too difficult. But first, I had to go and find a cherry, which was obviously the answer to the last clue.

I trudged back to the fruits and took bagged one pound of cherries, since I couldn't exactly just buy a single one. Then, swinging the bag in my hand, I made my way to the cashier and grabbed a huge chocolate bar for Frank, orange just like he requested. The same clerk who had given me the first clue rang me through, amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked at my array of food items.

"Interesting," he commented, motioning for me to swipe my credit card.

I did so and punched in my number, trying to fight a smile. "I know. Thank you so much for all of your help!"

He raised his eyebrows at me but didn't say anything, instead stepping out from behind the counter and holding the bags in his hands. "Let me help you carry all of this back to your car."

I smiled gratefully at him and led the way to where I had parked. He packed the bags in my trunk and waved as I drove out of the parking lot, heading straight for home. When I arrived, I saw that Chad's car was right where it was supposed to be and I felt a huge surge of adrenaline. With some difficulty I managed to wrestle the bags into the foyer, but that was as far as my newfound strength could take me.

"Chad? Frank?"

They both appeared by the doorway, smiles intact, and took the bags from me. I followed them into the kitchen and fell into Chad's arms after he put his bag down, my head resting comfortably against his chest. He brushed the hair away from my face and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "Were the clues easy enough?"

I turned around in his arms. "Yup. Piece of cake. But what's the last surprise?"

He pointed over to Frank, who was busy munching on his gift. Even though he was stuffing his face, I could still see his Bible on the counter next to him, open to a page. When he saw that I was looking at him, he nervously ran a hand over his balding head and grinned sheepishly at me, his mouth full of chocolate. "Thanks for the chocolate Sonny. And since this is your yes, I now pronounce you man and wife. Chad, you may kiss the bride."

After we broke apart, I gazed at Chad questioningly, trying to ignore Frank's munching in the background. "That was the surprise? I thought that that was a given."

He shook his head and led me into the dining room without a word. There on the table was a full meal, cooked and dished out already. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was my favourite meal: Chicken Stir-Frye. I realized that all of the items that I had had to buy while at the grocery were the ingredients to cook this meal, and I beamed. "Thank you!"

He chuckled and pulled me over to the table. I took my seat next to him and dug into my dinner, feeling starved. The chicken was flavourful and the perfect temperature, the sauce just the right thickness. I stuck a forkful into my mouth and chewed, feeling as if my taste buds were having a little party in my mouth.

"This is really good," I said, pointing at my food with my fork. "Really really good."

Chad brought a mini cooler closer to him and lifted the lid. He took out two banana splits from inside and showed me, mischief gleaming in his sapphire eyes. "And for dessert, your favourite: Banana Splits!"

I actually squealed and clapped my hands together excitedly. This could not get any better; my favourite meal _and_ favourite dessert? Then, all at once I remembered why I had been looking for Chad in the first place, and my smile grew. I fixed my eyes on Chad and brought my hands up in front of my chest, waiting for just the right moment to tell him.

He cocked his head to the side and his eyes clouded, worry clear across his face. "Sonny? Is something wrong? Are you ok? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I took a deep breath and held his hand across the table. His eyes flickered down to our joined hands for a second, and when he looked at me again, his eyes had darkened until they were almost navy. "Sonny, what's wrong?" he asked again.

"Chad," I began, my smile fighting to take over. "Chad, I'm pregnant."

* * *

**So you guys, guess what?**

**I think that it would be really amazing if I could get 85 reviews :) Not that I wouldn't post the next Chapter [which I am working on as you read this] if I don't get that many, it's just that that is my goal for this Chapter. To get 85 reviews by the time that I reach Chapter 9. I know that it's a tall order, but I believe in you guys! :) It would be _swell_ if you guys could do your part to help...*hopeful smile***

**Anyways, H-I-J are all taken care of in the way of ideas. So is M, but I still need some help with K! So keep on sending your ideas in, people! It'll be of great benefit haha.**

**And remember, 85! It'll be great, that's all I'm saying ;)**


	10. H is for Hospital

**Let me just start off by saying...thank you guys so much! I knew that it was a bit pricey, asking for 85 reviews, but you did it! You have no idea how big the smile on my face was when I logged onto my email and saw the amount of unread messages I had. And then it only grew when I saw how many of them were reviews. Wow...thank you so much!**

**I know that you guys are anxious to see Chad's reaction, so I'll let you go to that now. But there is a very important Author's Note at the end of this chapter, so be sure to check that out, alright?**

**Also, I want to thank everyone who said Horseback Riding wedding, because it does come into play in this chapter, although very slightly. Look out for it!  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

* * *

Chapter 10

_H is for Hospital_

* * *

The look on Chad's face was just priceless.

"You're…you're what?" he stuttered, his eyes widening. The food in front of him lay forgotten, although his fork was still poised in the air. He couldn't seem to remember to put it down, or maybe he just couldn't move from the shock. Either way, it hung there, the light reflecting off of the shiny silver.

My smiled faltered. This wasn't what I had been expecting at all. I had thought that he would pick me up and spin me around, peppering my face with kisses as he told me how excited he was. Then, after I was back on the ground, he would tenderly touch my stomach, marvelling at the new life that was contained in my body. But maybe I was watching too many romantic comedies, because all my fiancé could do was stare at me open mouthed, his eyes bugging like a fish out of water.

"Pregnant," I repeated, putting my own fork down gently in my plate. I gave his hand a little squeeze. "Chad, are you ok?" When he didn't answer, I held my head in my hands and let my hair fall over my face. My eyes were brimming with tears, and I didn't want Chad to see me like this. "Oh my God, I should have known. You don't want the baby; but why am I so surprised? What young Hollywood star wants a baby at such a young age? How could I fool myself into thinking that you would be ok with this? What is wrong wi –" I was cut off when I felt a hand close over my own, and I looked up into Chad's cerulean eyes. They were sparkling with something that I couldn't exactly place, but it was too difficult for me to see, so I hung my head again.

Chad tugged gently on my hair, causing me to tilt my head back involuntarily. Without a word, he kissed me full on the mouth, both of his hands entwining between the strands of my hair. I kissed him back with everything that I had in me, knowing that even if he didn't want our baby, he would be the only man that I ever loved. Even if I had to move away and raise our child on my own, I would never be able to find a man that I loved as much as I loved Chad.

With all of this in mind, I pulled away, bringing my hands up against Chad's chest. He looked down at me, the unusual sparkle still in his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice husky.

I bit my lip and realized that the tears had overflowed, leaving trails of saltwater on my cheeks. I broke away from him and frantically scrubbed the back of my hand over my face, trying to eliminate all traces of my tears. "I'm sorry," I managed to croak out. I pushed back in my chair and stood up, ready to flee the room. The banana splits on the table in front of us were melting, the blood red cherries beginning to sink into the liquid whipped cream.

"Sonny, wait," Chad said, catching my arm in his hand and refusing to let go. He drew me closer to him so that I was standing in between his legs and loped his arms around my waist. "Where are you going? Why are you crying? And what are you talking about? Why are you sorry?"

I looked at him in confusion, but he seemed to be just as puzzled as I was. "I thought that you didn't want the baby," I said slowly, clasping my hands over his own. This way, no matter what he said next, I had control. If I wanted to leave, all I had to do was unlace his fingers and escape. But if I wanted to stay, then I could venture deeper into his hold and bury my head in the crook of his neck. "I thought that you weren't happy that I was pregnant."

"Why?" He didn't seem mad that I had thought such things. He just seemed confused, as if he couldn't ever come up with a good reason for me to feel that way. Underneath my hands, his grip tightened and I took one step closer to him.

"Because you seemed so upset, and you didn't say anything, and I don't know, I guess that I just took your silence as the worst possible reaction and I didn't know what to think, and I was all excited about telling you but now I feel like I ruined our dinner and I'm sorry," I said all in one breath, the tears coming fast and furious down my face. "I'm sorry."

Chad lifted his hands from my waist and cradled my face in his hands. He kissed away my tears one by one, and I stood stock still, wholly shocked by his actions. It was true that Chad had gotten sweeter and slightly less egotistical since I had met him, and he did do incredibly sweet things for me a lot of the time (especially if today was any indication). But I have never seen him act so gentle and loving before. It was as if this was yet another side of Chad that he kept hidden from the public eye.

"Sonny, I'm sorry," he said quietly, brushing his thumb against my cheek. I didn't even have a chance to ask him what he was apologizing for, because he kissed me again. When we broke apart he continued, "I didn't mean to make it seem like I didn't want the baby. I was just shocked, that's all. Trust me, Sonny…I'm really excited about this baby." He smiled at me and let go of my face, moving his hands so that they hovered over my stomach. He looked at me uncertainly and I smiled and nodded, the fear in my heart finally evaporating. Chad _did _want our baby, and I felt as if I was dancing on air.

He gingerly laid his hands flat on my stomach and I shivered, overcome with emotion. I was having a baby; there was a baby growing inside of me. A whole living, breathing baby…a real person. I felt so in awe, so in wonder of the little being that I had to take of now. Everything else aside, I was a mother first and foremost.

I threw my arms around his neck. "Do you really mean it?"

He laughed and picked me up, spinning me around like I had imagined. My hair fanned out behind me and I bent my legs up into the air, squealing with delight. After he landed me on the ground, he kissed me again, a soft brush that made my cheeks turn pink. "Of course I really mean it. I love you _both_."

My eyes filled with tears again, but this time they were due to my happiness. "We love you too," I whispered, my vision blurring.

Chad chuckled softly and held me close to him, one arm wrapped around my waist. His free hand was holding the back of my head tenderly and he pressed a kiss onto my temple, laughing even as he did so. One of my hands unwound itself from around Chad's neck and rested against my stomach, almost as if by reflex.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made us pull away from each other slightly and we turned out heads towards the doorway in tandem. There stood Frank, looking awkward as he realized that he had interrupted a very private moment between the two of us. His half eaten chocolate bar hung from his fingers as he readjusted his glasses, his eyes shifting between the two of us.

"Sorry," he said quickly once he saw that he had our attention. "I just wanted to tell Sonny thanks again for the chocolate before I left. So thanks Sonny. And sorry. Again. For interrupting, I mean."

The corner of Chad's mouth tilted up into a small smile as he looked down at me. Then he turned back to Frank and shook his head slightly, his hair swinging into his eyes. The tone of his voice made it clear that he was joking, and I giggled at his words. "Wow Frank. You really do have the worst timing ever, don't you?"

**

* * *

**

I dabbed on some lip gloss and used my baby finger to smear it over my lips. To make sure that it was applied properly, I then pursed my lips to smooth out the shine, taking painstaking care to wipe off any of the gloss that had exceeded the curve of my lips. After brushing on some eye shadow and applying a touch of mascara, I straightened my hair and stood up, admiring my reflection in the mirror.

Today was the day that I broke the news to my cast, and I had chosen a special outfit for the occasion: a bright green dress and a cute leather jacket. I was wearing ballet flats again today, because I didn't trust myself with heels; I was known to be rather clumsy at times, there was no getting around _that_. Multiple necklaces were adorning my neck, and they collided with each other with every movement that I took.

Of course, before I could tell my cast mates, I had to call my mom. I checked my watch and picked my cell phone up off of the vanity table. I had decided that after I was ready for work I inform my mother about her impending grandparent status, because I knew that once we started chatting, it would take a long while for us to stop. This way, I wouldn't have to rush and get ready to head out when we were finished talking.

I punched in my mom's number and waited patiently as I heard her phone ring on the other side. After about a minute, she picked up, sounding breathless. "Hello?" There was a beat of silence and then, "Sonny! How are you sweetie? What's wrong?"

I laughed. "Mom, nothing's wrong! Can't a daughter just call her mom to talk?"

She laughed too, but stopped abruptly to answer my question. "Well, a daughter can honey, but you never do. So what's going on?"

The constant sound of water running shut off, and I knew that Chad had finished bathing. After he got dressed and was ready to head out to Condor Studios, we had to leave, which meant that I had to tell my mom _now_. She was already making impatient noises on the other end of the line, and I could picture her blowing her hair out of her eyes, her mouth set as she waited for me to speak. "Mom?"

"Yes Sonny?"

"Umm…I'm pregnant?" It came out sounding more like a question than an actual statement, due to my voice getting squeakier with each passing word. I waited nervously for her reaction, but nothing came. I didn't doubt that my mother would be excited to become a grandparent, but I wasn't sure if her enthusiasm would be an immediate thing, or if she would have to ease herself into it. I also had the sneaking suspicion that she thought that twenty was too young to have children, even if you had the right man in your life.

She surprised me. After the few moments of complete silence (which had scared me half to death) she let out a scream so loud that I jerked the phone away from my ear. "Oh my God, really Sonny? A baby? You're going to have a baby? This is so exciting! A grandma…I'm going to be a grandma! A baby? Wow…gosh, a baby!"

I laughed again, all of my previous anxiety draining away as my listened to my mother's guffaws. "Yes mom, a real baby. Congratulations, grandma!"

"So when did you find out that you were pregnant, sweetie? I better not be the last to know," she mocked scolded. Even though she was kidding, I could hear a hint of truth in her words. If there was one thing that my mom didn't like, it was being out of the loop.

"Actually, I found out yesterday. Other than Tawni and Chad, you're the first person to know. And obviously I had to tell Chad before you, and Tawni was the one who made me take the pregnancy test, so she was there when the results appeared," I explained. "In fact, she was the one who checked the test for me, because I was scared to."

Just then, Chad poked his head into my bedroom and gestured for me to get off of the phone. I nodded at him and turned back to my mother, just in time to hear her say, "– well sweetie, I should get going now. I need to cover the early bird shift today, because Sarah is visiting her mother in Colorado and couldn't be here today."

"Me too," I said, getting to my feet. I grabbed my purse off of the hook on the wall and closed my bedroom door behind me, my cell tucked between my shoulder and ear. A waterfall of hair cascaded down my shoulders and tickled my cheek, and I scratched at the itch once before continuing down the hall. I could see Chad waiting for me next to the front door, and I smiled at him, holding my hand for him to grasp. "I need to get to the studios, so I'll talk to you later, ok mom? Love you. Bye!"

As Chad and I walked down to his car, our hands swinging between us, Chad randomly turned to look at me and just stared, a hint of a smile on his face. He looked at me for so long that I started to feel uncomfortable, so I crossed my eyes at him, hoping that he'd start to laugh and continue on with his life. Luckily he did, but not without squeezing my hand a little.

He took a deep breath and I looked at him, waiting for him to say something. I knew him well enough by now that he was trying to break something to me gently, so I just waited for him to let it out. The silence stretched on, the only sound our footsteps hitting the ground. Just when I thought that he was going to give up trying to tell me whatever was bothering him, he took another deep breath and stopped walking, pulling me to a stop beside him.

"Today I'm going out for lunch with Ferguson and Skyler," he blurted out, turning to face me again. "It's this bonding thing that our director wants us to do, so I won't be able to meet you for lunch like we had planned."

My face fell slightly. We hadn't had lunch together yesterday, because Chad hadn't been at the studios. I had been looking forward to having lunch with Chad today, but what was I going to do, tell him to disobey his director? I nodded my head and bit my lip. "All right, no problem. Rain check then? Tomorrow? For definite?"

He breathed a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, looking more relaxed than I had seen him all morning. "So you're not mad then? Because I know that this isn't the first time that I've broken our dates on such a late notice."

I shook my head. "Not mad. A little disappointed, I guess, because I was looking forward to it, but not mad. I understand that sometimes, you just need to do something for work, so it's not that big a deal." I stretched up on my tiptoes and swiftly pecked his lips, moving so quickly that I was already back in my original position before he even had a chance to react. "Come on, we'll be late for work."

When we arrived at the studios, I practically skipped to the Prop House, Chad hot on my heels. We had decided that I would be the one to break the news, but obviously Chad had to be there. And then after we told my cast, we would tackle his. That time, however, we would have a role reversal. Not that it mattered much, because we all got along now, for the most part. But we were both more comfortable with this arrangement, so that was how we were going to do it.

On the car ride over, I had quickly sent all of my cast mates texts, telling them that I had some important news to share with them all. Apparently they had gotten these messages, because they were all lounging around the room when we came in. Zora appeared to be cleaning her sarcophagus, Tawni was balanced on the edge of the couch, filing her nails and texting on her cell phone – probably Joe – and Nico and Grady were sitting at the table in the back, examining each kernel in what seemed to be a sea of popcorn.

"Hey guys!" I chirped, swinging my hand in a half wave.

Zora got to her feet and tossed her used rag on the ground, wiping her hands on the legs of her jeans. "Hey Sonny, Chad. We got your text messages, Sonny. What's up?"

Over on the couch, Tawni let out an excited squeak, but quickly covered her mouth with her hand when everyone looked at her and instead focused on cell phone, her fingers flying expertly over the keys. Tawni, I knew, couldn't keep a secret, so she looked almost as if she was in actual physical pain from having to keep her mouth shut.

I decided to put her out of her misery, so I clapped my hands together once and smiled at all of my friends around me. "Well," I said, my cheeks aching from the force of my smile. It wasn't as if I could help it though. I mean, I was just so excited and happy to be able to tell everyone this news. To even actually have news to tell. "The thing is you guys….I'm pregnant."

Each one of my friends had a different reaction.

Tawni jumped up from her place on the couch and did a little happy dance, her hair bouncing with the jerky movements. "Oh my God, you have _no idea_ how hard it was not to tell any of them!" she cried, throwing her hands up in the air gaily. Her bangles slid down her arm and hit against each other, coming to stop when they came to the middle of her forearm. "I was so excited that I just wanted to shout it out, but then I was like, no, Sonny has to tell them first."

Zora's mouth dropped open and she stared at me and Chad, her eyes widening by the second. "Pregnant?" she echoed, her voice hoarse. She was completely still and silent for a moment, and then she launched herself onto me and Chad, one arm around each of us. "Congratulations! Wow you guys, this is great!"

Grady had leaped up from the stool that he had been sitting on and gone into his own version of a happy dance, complete with the steamroller and fist pumps. His eyes looked bright and clear as he jumped around, murmuring his own little chant that sounded like, "Yes….a baby!...baby..baby…baby! Sonny and Chad are having a baby! A little bitty baby waby baby!"

I had been expecting everyone to act like this when I told them the news, and I was not disappointed. The only person who took me by surprise was Nico, who slowly and silently stood up and walked up to me and Chad in the front, his arms crossed over his chest. He sidestepped Grady and ducked underneath Tawni's flailing limbs and just stared at Chad, his dark eyes flashing. I had been prepared for a show like the one Grady was putting on, so I was utterly floored, and looked cautiously at the exchange between these two.

"So…a baby," Nico said quietly, his eyes never once wavering from my fiancé's face.

Chad, for his part, just stared right back, his expression just as stoic. Although his blue eyes seemed hard, I could see both the wariness and confusion that lay underneath and I gripped his hand reassuringly. Since I had never dreamed that Nico would become so protective of me, there wasn't much else that I could do, and I was at a complete loss for words.

All of a sudden, a huge grin broke out across Nico's face and he did one of those bro-handshakes with Chad, his excitement almost tangible. He lurched forward to clap Chad on the back one more time and his hat tilted dangerously to the side, coming this close to falling off his head. "Congrats, you guys!" His expression darkened slightly and he glared at Chad again. "But ever hurt Sonny or that baby, and I'll come for you, you hear me, _Chip_?"

To my surprise, Chad actually laughed. He clapped one hand on Nico's shoulder and used his other to squeeze my fingers gently. "I have no intention of hurting either of them, _Rainy_," he replied, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Really, I don't. I love Sonny way too much to ever hurt her."

I gave him a slight peck on the lips while Nico gagged behind me. "See what I was talking about the other day, Sonny?" he asked, straightening his hat. "You guys are too lovey-dovey-couply. Ugh, _no wonder_ you're pregnant!"

My mouth dropped open and I smack him –hard – across the chest with my free hand. Behind Nico, Tawni had stopped dancing and was covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her giggles. His remark had been so close to what she had told me the day before that I knew that was what she was thinking about, and I levelled her with an icy glare. This made her shut up, and she turned her attention back to her nail. Every now and then, though, a smirk would cross her face, and I knew that she was having flashbacks.

Chad glanced down at his watch and let go of my hand. When I turned back to look at him questioningly, he was swiping at his bangs and flattening his tie at the same time, posed to take a step backward. When he saw my expression he hastened to explain, "My director would skin me alive if I was late today; we're starting shooting for the new season. How about after lunch, we'll tackle my cast, alright?"

I nodded and kissed him good-bye, waving as he walked out of the Prop House door and down the hallway. When I turned back to my cast mates, they were all staring at me, knowing smiles on their faces. Reflexively, I took a step backwards and narrowed my eyes at them, trying to figure out what was going on. "Guys?"

They all tackled me at once, knocking me down onto the arm chair next to the couch. Even Tawni, who spent more time primping than bonding with us, took part in this impromptu group hug, her curls suffocating me as she held on tight. Grady gave me a little squeeze and Nico patted my back proudly, and Zora was the only one who just hugged me normally, her hands clasping together behind my back.

"Whoa guys, back up!" I said jokingly, taking a step back and out of their embraces. I held up my hands in front of my chest and pursed my lips tightly, my eyebrows raised. "I need to breathe for two now, remember?"

Tawni clapped her hand excitedly and bounced on the heels of her shoes, her hair flying all over the place. "Wow, having a pregnant friend is so cool!"

I laughed and nudged her side, my brows waggling. "Well, let's hope that you still feel that way when I have morning sickness, weird cravings and mood swings."

Her expression dimmed slightly, but then it brightened again when she cried out, "But an adorable baby to show for it! Oooh, having a pregnant friend is so cool!"

At that exact moment, Marshall walked through the door, a rolled up script gripped in one hand. He smoothed the other over his balding head and glanced nervously around the room, his expression frozen. "Who's your pregnant friend, Tawni? What are you kids talking about?"

We all exchanged glances and I folded my hands over my stomach guiltily. As I watched Marshall's expression morph from confused to understanding to shock, Grady smiled slightly and said in a low drawl, "Oooh, Marshall, are you out of the loop or what?"

**

* * *

**

I popped the last chunk of steak into my mouth and smiled as I chewed, the rich flavour of the beef bouncing around in my mouth. Brenda had started to serve me the same food that she gave to the Mackenzie Falls cast, but only, she was always quick to tell me, because I made Chad Dylan Cooper happy. Other than the fact that I was his fiancé, she didn't really give a hoot about me or what I was eating.

I balanced the fork and knife across the plate, creating a bridge from one end to the other, and took a swig from my water bottle. I was just screwing the cap back on when Tawni burst in the room, her eyes wide and frantic. She looked so different than she had this morning that I instantly felt a knot curl up in my stomach, and my palms started to sweat. I'd seen Tawni look this way before many times – usually when her favourite store had a sale at the mall – but never had her expression held this amount of urgency. Honestly, she was scaring me a bit.

When she caught sight of me sitting down, my empty dishes scattered in front of me, she rushed over to my table and collapsed in a chair. Upon closer inspection, I could see that her eyes were rimmed with a slight reddish tinge, and her nail polish was chipped, almost as if she had been nervously biting on her fingers.

"Tawni, what's going on?" I asked, looking at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Sonny." The sound of her voice, hoarse and cracked, made the knot in my stomach intensify, twisting around itself until I thought that it would just give away. When she saw the look on my face, her own crumpled and she took my hand in her own, her eyes sad and pitying. Before I could even process what was happening, she opened her mouth to speak again, uttering the very words that I had hoped never to hear in my whole life. "Sonny…Chad is in the hospital. He was in an….there was an accident. Someone was speeding and ran a red light, and she ended up crashing into Chad's car. Ferguson and Skyler were right behind him, so they saw the whole thing and called for help. Portlyn just told us, and we couldn't find you anywhere. Sonny…he's…well, he's in the hospital," she repeated, seemingly at a loss for words.

I felt as though someone had dunked my whole body in ice water. All of my hair stood on end, and my field of vision narrowed until all I could see was Tawni. She had the strangest look in her eyes, like even though she felt sorry for me, she was glad that she wasn't in my place. I buried my head in my hands and shook my head, refusing to believe that something so horrible could happen to me, to Chad. To us.

Just this morning, we had been so happy, telling everyone about the baby. He had been laughing and talking and joking and getting along with everyone. He had been smiling and so full of life, so sure of himself. How did someone like that end up in the hospital, through no fault of their own? It wasn't fair, it wasn't right…it shouldn't have even been possible.

"Sonny?" Tawni's voice was hesitant, and she tentatively placed a hand on my shoulder. The contact was totally unwelcome right now, and I shrugged out of her touch, trying to shrink into myself so that I wouldn't have to face anyone. I didn't _want_ to face anyone. But after a few more minutes of silence, I decided that not only was this silly, but I needed to go to the hospital. I needed to see Chad, no matter how bandaged and bruised he might be.

I raised my head up and looked over at my best friend, who was regarding me with the same expression that she had worn earlier. I noticed now that it wasn't what I had thought before. She wasn't glad that she wasn't in my place; she was feeling sorry for me, yes, but she also felt horrible that she couldn't do anything to lessen the blow. Without a word, she enveloped me in her arms and held me tightly, the familiar smell of her perfume comforting. Everything was changing now, and although I wasn't sure if it were for the better or for the worse, I just needed a constant. Something concrete that I could focus on. Someone like Tawni.

I sniffled and pulled away, bringing one hand up to scrub across my eyes. People around the commissary were starting to look at us now, since we were being so quiet and intense, and I knew that once I started to cry, I wouldn't be able to stop. That wasn't something that I wanted an audience for, so I tried as hard as I could to keep the tears at bay, at least for a little while.

"D…do you know how he is?" I asked, my voice cracking. "Is he ok?"

Tawni shook her head ruefully. Her curls, which had been so bouncy and full of life this morning, hung limp around her face, and for the first time I realized just how much Chad meant to all of us. It was true that he was my fiancé, and this news was probably the biggest blow to me, since I loved him in a different way, but that didn't mean that all of my cast mates didn't love him too. He was their friend as much as they were mine, and I could see that Tawni was hurting too. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, our fingers tightening around each other like our lives depended on it.

"Actually, we don't have any idea," she said softly, one tear dripping off of her eyelashes and running down her cheek. "We couldn't get any information at all, but the others said that I should tell you. None of them wanted to be the one to break the bad news."

By now we were heading to Tawni's car, our steps quick and purposeful. People in the hallways were staring at us as we passed, although I couldn't be sure if it was because they heard about Chad's accident, or if they were just unaccustomed to seeing Sonny Munroe and Tawni Hart looking so serious. Either way, we ignored them, keeping our focus on the matter at hand: getting to the hospital to see Chad. Nothing else mattered right now; nothing else was important.

My mind was blank as we raced to the hospital, my hands cradling my flat stomach. The last thing in the world that I wanted was to have to explain to my child why she (or he…but I was really hoping for a she) didn't have a daddy. Just the thought made me choke up, and I let out a strangled sob.

Tawni glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I swear I felt the car pick up speed. She wasn't as sad anymore, I noticed when I studied her profile a few seconds later. The tears had all left her eyes, leaving behind a fierce determination that I had never seen in Tawni before. Her eyes were sharp on the road in front of her as she deftly snaked through the cars around us, trying to reach the hospital.

"Thank you," I said quietly, staring straight ahead as the scenery flew by my window. I could see the hospital in the distance, a clean looking white building that stood proud against the darkening sky. The day had started out bright and sunny, birds singing and the heat blazing. But now, storm clouds seemed to be rolling in, taking the warmth away and replacing it with a cool breeze that raised goose bumps on my arms. Funny how the weather always seemed to reflect your emotions, wasn't it? I took a deep breath and said it one more time, trying to still my hammering heart. "Thank you."

She glanced at me again, but didn't say anything.

Within seconds, Tawni had slid the car into a visitor parking space and we were both pounding the concrete, running around the cars and through the slight drizzle, trying to get inside. The automatic doors _swooshed_ open, bringing back a reminder of the grocery wedding that we had had a couple days ago. When my main concern had been how to tell Chad about my pregnancy, not how to possibly raise a child alone.

Without me even noticing, my face crumpled and I started to cry, big baby sobs that left my throat feeling raw and me gasping for breath. Tawni pulled me against her and rubbed my back comfortingly while I let my tears roll down my face. They felt as though they were never ending, but finally, they stopped. I stepped back and wiped my face, my fingers lingering underneath my eyes as they caught a few more drops of saltwater. I wiped my tears off on the skirt of my dress and walked up to the reception desk, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

The nurse behind the desk glanced up at me, seemingly unconcerned that I had been crying. This made sense I supposed, since she did work in a hospital. At any given point on any day, someone could be found crying at a hospital; she was probably used to it by now. Her name tag read Petunia, and I smiled shakily at her. "Hi, umm…I was wondering if you could tell me what room Chad Dylan Cooper was in?"

Her steel coloured eyes flashed. "I'm sorry," she said, not sounding very sorry at all. "But we can only give that information out to his family members. Maybe you should go home, because I'm not going to let you in to see him."

I recoiled as if I had been slapped. Didn't she recognize me? And even if she didn't, why did she have to be so rude about it? I took a deep breath and tried again, fighting to control the shaking in my hands. "Actually, Petunia, I don't think that you understand. I'm his fiancé, Sonny Munroe?" When her face remained unchanged, I took another shot. "So…aren't you going to let me in now?"

She rolled her eyes and tucked a stray lock of black hair behind her ear. The wily curl refused to sit still though, and sprung out as soon as she moved her hand. "Am I supposed to believe that? Look, why don't you take a seat with all of his _other_ girlfriends and fiancés, alright?"

I followed her gaze to where a gaggle of teen girls sat, crying their eyes out. Obviously, they had heard about the accident and were just as scared as I was. Although, I had to admit, in a more superficial way. The only difference between me and these girls was that they looked to be about sixteen, and I was twenty, pregnant and actually Chad's fiancé.

I gave Petunia a thin lipped smile and stomped over to where Tawni and the rest of my cast sat, their faces forlorn. I was a little surprised to see them here, but more grateful than shocked, and I smiled at them in thanks. They all reached out to me, patting my back and giving me hugs, and I felt a little bit of the tension float away. The only thing that could make me feel fully better, though, was knowing that Chad was ok. And I couldn't do that, because Petunia wouldn't let me in.

"Did you find anything out?" Nico asked quietly. His hat was bunched up in his hands, all curled and twisted. It reminded me of how my heart was feeling, and I brought a hand up to my chest. "Sonny?"

I shook my head. "She doesn't believe that I'm his fiancé."

All of a sudden, a flash of colour caught my attention and I lurched to my feet. My cast looked at me, confusion clear across their faces, but I ignored them, all of my attention trained on the magazine that I now held in my hands. With my head held high, I stalked back up to the reception desk and shoved the magazine in Petunia's face, a smug smile gracing my lips.

"Look at this picture," I demanded, pushing the cover of the magazine closer to her face. "As you can _clearly_ see, that is a photo of Chad Dylan Cooper and myself on a date, leaving a restaurant. And later that night, he sat with me on the couch in the Prop House and proposed." I held up my left hand next to the magazine, my engagement ring catching the light and sending a burst of colour across Petunia's face. "Because I am Sonny Munroe, his fiancé. Now please, can you tell me what room he is in?"

Her lip curled up, but she and I both knew that she couldn't fight with my evidence. She shuffled some papers around on her desk, her mouth still twisted, but I waited as patiently as I could. Inside, my stomach was churning and my blood was boiling, but I fought to keep my cool as she checked her records list, her finger trailing down the names at a snail's pace. Finally, she straightened up and narrowed her eyes at me. "Room 267."

I thanked her and dashed over to the room, trying my best to follow the plastic arrows that were stuck to the walls. After barely any trouble at all, I found my destination and poked my head in, fearing the worst. A doctor was at Chad's bedside, flipping through a chart, and I quietly entered the room, biting my lip.

As soon as I saw Chad, my heart soared. He wasn't dead; he was the farthest thing from dead. In fact, he was very much alive. He had bandages on his temple and arm, and some scrapes and bruises decorating his face. One of his feet was propped up and bandaged tightly, but other than that, he looked no worse for wear. I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped up beside the doctor, feeling so much better.

"Ah, Miss Munroe," the doctor said, closing the chart and slipping it into a basket at the foot of Chad's bed. "You're the fiancé, am I correct?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, you are. So, how is he? What exactly happened?"

The doctor ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair and adjusted the stethoscope that hung around his neck. "As I'm sure that your friends have told you, a young woman was speeding and broke the red light. Her car collided with Mr. Cooper's, but luckily, it crashed into the passenger side of the car. He was far enough away from the impact to be alive, and he escaped with a few cuts and bruises. He had to get stitches on his temple and his arm, and those will be a little sore when he wakes up. His ankle also got caught at an unnatural angle at the time of impact, which resulted in a break. We've finished operating on it, and he can wear a walkable cast, so there should be no problems in that regard."

Although all of this sounded horrifying, I couldn't stop the grin that stretched across my face. He was fine, and he had never been in any life threatening danger at all. The surge of relief that flowed through my body was so powerful that it almost hurt, and I collapsed into the chair at the side of Chad's bed.

The doctor left the room, giving me a two fingered wave over his shoulder, which I returned. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Chad though, and leaned over onto the bed. I gently brushed his hair off of his forehead with my fingertips, and shock rippled through me when he stirred.

"Don't touch the hair," he managed to say, sounding groggy and disoriented.

After fearing that he was dead, having him act so Chad-like was the most welcome thing in the world to me. I couldn't help it; I laughed. I laughed until my stomach ached, tears were streamed down my face and my cheeks hurt. Through all of this, Chad looked at me, trying to focus. He seemed to recognize my laugh though, because a lazy smile spread across his face.

"Sonny?"

"Chad Dylan Cooper, don't you ever scare me like that again, do you hear me?" I said, the seriousness of my words not translating through between my giggles. I finally stopped and took his hand in mine, gently running my finger along the palm.

Chad suddenly jerked, and I glanced at him sharply. "Chad, are you ok?"

He nodded his head and gestured to his cell phone, which was on the table beside him. There wasn't even a scratch on that thing, which just made me feel better. If his puny cell phone could escape unscathed, then he wasn't in too much danger to begin with. "Sonny, can you do me a huge favour and text Frank for me, please?"

I did as he asked, my fingers flying over the keys until I realized that I had no idea what he wanted me to say. I paused and looked up at him, my eyebrows furrowed. "What exactly do I put?"

He answered without any hesitation at all. "The purple rhino charges towards the broken tree branch."

I froze. "What? What does that even mean, Chad?"

"Don't worry, Frank will know what it means."

I sent the message and then set the phone down again, picking up Chad's hand once more. I traced circles in his palm and avoided his eyes, feeling my throat constrict as I remembered how worried I had been. "Chad…you really scared me." My voice broke on the last word, and a couple tears made their way down my cheeks.

He reached one hand over to me and wiped away my tears. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but Frank beat him to it, bursting through the door with his trusty Holy Bible in hand. He took one look at us and grimaced, his glasses sliding down his nose. "My timing again, huh? Sorry you guys."

I looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Chad texted me, sent me the code phrase. Meant that you guys were going to have a wedding now. Didn't he tell you?"

I swung my glare over to Chad. "A wedding? _Now? _Why?"

Chad shrugged. A brief look of pain crossed his face, but it passes quickly and he continued with what he was going to say. "Because Sonny, what I had planned for had originally been horseback riding. But, with my broken ankle and you being pregnant, we can't really go through with that plan, now can we? So, at the last minute, I'm changing it so that **H is for Hospital. **Now come up here –" he patted the space next to him on the bed. "– and let Frank do his job, ok?"

Reluctantly, I perched on the edge of the bed, one knee crossed over the other. I wasn't exactly happy with getting married in a hospital, but what Chad had just said made sense. And honestly, it was his choice whether or not we got married here; it was his part of the bet.

Frank opened the Bible and got to work, reading the vows as he usually did. Finally, we got to my favourite part and I smiled.

"Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," I responded, squeezing Chad's hand.

"And do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

Frank beamed at us and closed his Bible, holding it close to his body. "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I turned my head so that I was facing Chad, and was met with his lips claiming my own. "I love you, Sonny," he murmured into the kiss, his free hand moving to wrap around my body and cradle the back of my head.

I broke away from him for a second and smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

**So...I have some important news for you guys. On Friday, I am leaving to go on a three week vacation with my family (I am so excited :] ) and won't be able to write anything. I also won't be able to post what has already been written out, because my grandmother has no Internet. So basically, for the next three weeks, I will not be here haha. I just wanted to let you guys know, just in case you wonder why I've stopped updating, even though I've been doing pretty well lately, haven't I?**

**Anyways, I know that this is even taller than the last order, but I think that it would be just amazing to get 100 reviews by the time I come back. Not like, get 100, but get enough to reach 100. It's always been a dream of mine to get 10 reviews a chapter, which, I know, seems pretty lame, but it's just the way I am. If you guys could get me to 100 while I'm gone, I would be forever grateful! And I believe in you guys...I know you can do it! :)**

**K people...K and N and O - those are up next on the idea docket :)**

**Thanks so much...and see you when I get back! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter haha. It was pretty long this time too!**

**XOXO**  
**mspink93 **


	11. I is for Ice Cream Shoppe

**I'm back!**

**Actually, that's pretty inaccurate. Well, not really, but I mean like, I've been back since last week Tuesday. But then, I got sick, and I was a little busy and going out to the mall (my Dad was home, you see, so I had no time to go on my laptop, since we were always out and about). So anyways, this is the reason why I haven't updated sooner. Or rather, that was the reason haha. Ok, sorry, I'm rambling. I do that sometimes. I'll stop now.**

**But umm, before I get to the new Chapter, I just wanted to thank everyone who totally blew my mind away! I asked for 100 reviews, and when I got back, I had 119! That was above and beyond, my friends, and I am just so grateful that so many of you are enjoying my story! Thank you thank you thank you! :)**

**Disclaimer - I do not own SWAC**

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Chapter 11

_I is for Ice Cream Shoppe_

Dedicated to characters

* * *

One eyebrow up, one eyebrow low, lips pursed and mouth twisted to the side. A fraction of a second later, the whole expression changed, morphing so that both eyebrows were high up on his forehead and his teeth were bared, as if he were checking for pieces of food caught between them. With a sigh, he closed his mouth and bit his lip so hard that it turned white, his tooth glistening in the fluorescent lighting overhead.

I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bed next to Chad, resting my hands gently on my knees. He didn't even give any indication that he was aware of my new position, choosing to keep his eyes glued to the handheld mirror that was clutched in his fist. His grip loosened slightly, and the mirror wobbled a little until he steadied it, still giving the object all of his attention.

I rolled my eyes again and shifted one hand so that it was touching his knee instead of my own. "Chad, will you stop it already? I told you, your hair looks _fine_."

His gaze never leaving his new hairstyle, he suppressed a gasp and narrowed his eyes. "My hair looks _fine_?" he repeated, pinching the ends of his blonde hair. "Fine? Just fine? Sonny, my hair is supposed to look _incredible,_ and _wow_ everyone who even dares to set their eyes upon something so amazing."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes for a third time. "Are you seriously _that_ conceited?" I asked him, jerking my hand away from his knee and opting to run my finger through his hair instead. It was much shorter than it used to be, but I also found that I preferred this style as opposed to his last. "Besides, shouldn't _my_ opinion be the only one that matters?"

Because his hair had been long-ish (it had kept getting underneath his bandage and interfering with his stitches), the nurses had decided that it would be best to cut it a little shorter, so that his cut would be able to heal better. Now, instead of straight golden locks falling across his forehead, Chad's hair was shorter, and stood up a little. It wasn't as much fun to run my fingers through, but it made him look older.

Chad rested the handheld mirror on the bed next to him and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer into his embrace. "Of course your opinion matters the most," he said, kissing me on the top of my head. "But my fans need to think that I'm hot too."

I laughed and kissed his cheek, taking care of his bruises and bandages. All of his minor cuts had pretty much healed up, and his bruises were beginning to yellow, which proved to me that they weren't all too bad in the first place. After all, it had only been about three days since his accident, and already Chad was looking like his usual self. The only indicators of the car crash that were even evident on his person were Chad's walkable cast for his broken ankle and the bandage on his temple. The stitches on his arm had long ago been exposed, but the ones on his forehead had to be kept covered, on account of Chad's unruly hair.

"Well don't worry," I said, lacing our fingers together. "I didn't think that it was even possible, but your new haircut makes you look even hotter than before."

Just then, the hospital room door opened and Petunia stuck her head in. She took one look at Chad and me and her lips curled together even tighter, her general look of disgust only intensified by how low she was furrowing her eyebrows. Her dark corkscrew curls were pulled back in a tight braid, but they wound up into each other right underneath where the ponytail was fastened.

She stepped into the room, Chad's records clipboard held firmly against her chest. During Chad's short stint in the hospital, I had found out that Petunia wasn't only the secretary behind the desk. Apparently, she was also a nurse at the hospital, and had been super sour that day because she had to fill in for the regular secretary-nurse lady, because she was at a family event halfway across the country.

Not to say, of course, that this made Petunia any less rude. Even when she was acting solely as a nurse in the hospital, a frown seemed to be her expression of choice. Like now, for instance. She looked as if she had stepped in something on her way to the room, because her nose was twisted in disgust at the sight of us sitting on the bed. The expression on her face made it perfectly clear that she wished that the two of us were anywhere but here at the moment, sitting down on a bed in the same room as her.

Chad, for one, seemed to agree. He was biting his lip in anticipation, and his whole body was jostling with the amount of nervous energy that he had pent up inside of him. The only reason that we were both here was because Dr. Frehthan had wanted to just do some last minute tests on Chad before he left, to make sure that he was 100% A-OK. If you asked me, I think that the doctor just liked having famous people in his hospital, so he was trying to milk this for all that it was worth. But I knew that Chad was anxious to come back home, and I for one, was anxious to have him back.

"So, Petunia, how does it look? Am I in the clear?" Chad was saying, his good leg bouncing. I placed a steadying hand on his knee and the movement stopped almost instantly. He glanced down at me for a fleeting second and gave my hand a squeeze before turning to the nurse, his cerulean eyes wide and hopeful.

She flicked through his chart once more and tucked it under her arm. "You're good to go," she said shortly, no emotion passing through her gray eyes. She slid a glance over in my direction for a second and then turned on her heel and walked away, her braid bouncing against her back. She had never gotten over how I had proved her wrong on the day of Chad's accident, and she tried to avoid exchanging words with me ever since then.

As soon as the door shut behind Petunia, I jumped off of the bed, pulling Chad with me. The grin that stretched across my face was contagious, and I soon saw Chad returning my gesture. Together, we bounded out of the hospital room, not stopping until we were outside of the building altogether. Chad's movements were hindered a little because of his cast, but he managed to keep up with me as we left the hospital.

Once we were a safe distance away from all of the doctors and nurses, I let out a little scream of exhilaration and clapped my hands joyously. The hospital was a very depressing and gray place to be, and I was simply _overjoyed_ to be out of it – hopefully, for a very long time.

I let go of Chad's hand as slid into the driver's side of the car, letting my hands hang loosely around the steering wheel. Chad regarded me with one eyebrow raised, not having moved from his spot in the car park. I just waggled my fingers at him and gestured for him to sit down next to me, a mischievous smirk plastered across my face. I knew that Chad liked to drive, and he usually _never_ trusted anyone at all with any of his "babies". That fact alone made this whole thing so much fun, so the expression on Chad's face was just icing on the cake.

"What are you doing?" he asked, giving in and settling in the seat next to me.

I smoothly drove out of the parking lot and headed towards Condor Studios, handling the car as if on autopilot. "Driving, no duh, Chad. Dr. Frehthan told me that you wouldn't be able to drive with your ankle in that cast, and _then_ only three weeks after you take the cast off. So until such time-" I flicked on the indicator and turned into the studio lot, driving all the way up and slipping into Chad's reserved parking spot. "-either I drive you around, or you can hire an extremely expensive chauffeur. Which is totally your choice, but a waste of money."

Chad rolled his eyes and got out of the car, hesitating slightly because of all of the extra weight on his left foot. He glanced around the parking lot, and for the first time seemed to notice that it was rather empty. He turned to me, one eyebrow quirked, and I almost laughed out loud. Honestly, that boy was too adorable for his own good.

"Remember, we have an interview today, in the commissary?" I locked the car and met Chad in the front, folding the car keys into his hand. I hadn't brought a bag with me, and my dress didn't have any pockets. The only way that I even had my cell phone with me was because I had resorted to holding it in my bare hands, due to my need to be in constant contact with my friends. "Mostly everyone else has the day off, so it's just us and the reporter."

We made our way through the winding hallways, hand in hand, until we got to the commissary. I had been fully expecting to see Santiago lounging on the chairs while he waited for us to arrive, but was instead met with the sight of a pretty young woman, about twenty eight years old. Her nose was slightly too large for the rest of her features, and her chocolate brown hair was just shy of brushing her shoulders, but when she saw that Chad and I had entered the room, her face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"Good morning!" she cried out, lurching to her feet. She pattered across the room, her heels striking the floor loudly, as she made to grab my hand, pumping it up and down energetically. She did the same to Chad before continuing. "Santiago Heraldo was supposed to be conducting this interview, but backed out at the last minute. My name is Caitlin, by the way, nice to meet you."

All of this was said a mile a minute, and I smiled shakily, nervous. Although Caitlin seemed nice enough, there was something about the way that her hazel eyes shone that made me a little wary of her. Like if I didn't watch what I was going to say carefully, she would take my words and twist them, spinning them completely out of context, and making me look bad. She had that sneaky sort of air about her.

Still jabbering all the way, Caitlin sat down and motioned for us to do the same. We perched in chairs directly opposite her and waited for the questions. I sat back and crossed my legs, a small smile still gracing my features. To my right, Chad had straightened out his leg and propped it up on another chair, keeping his ankle elevated just as the doctor has advised.

"So," Caitlin began, flipping open a notebook and removing a sharpened pencil from behind her ear. "Let's begin with a simple question. Tell me about the wedding. Have you set a date yet?" She licked the tip of her pencil and set it against the lined paper, ready to record anything that we threw at her.

Me and Chad exchanged a glance, and I bit my lip gently. The public didn't know about our little bet, because we had wanted each of our weddings to be low-key and intimate; no paparazzi allowed. But because of our engagement's current status, we tried to avoid questions on our wedding. The less that anybody knew about it, the better.

"Well," I began hesitantly, clasping my hands and resting them on my thighs. "We haven't exactly set a date yet for our wedding. But that is all that we're willing to say on the matter, so we would really appreciate it if we could steer clear of questions like that, please."

While I was speaking, Caitlin had been regarding me with her eyebrows raised as she continuously tapped her pencil against the page. When I was finished talking, she sat still for a moment, her eyes trained on mine. Then, a smile stretched across her face and she wagged the pencil at me, a lock of her hair falling over her face and obscuring one eye. "Very professional, Ms. Munroe. So then, my next question for you isn't so much a part of the formal interview. Basically, it's just my curiosity getting the better of me, and making me ask. It actually has to do with one of your really good friends, Ms. Munroe."

My eyebrows flew up at this statement, but I quickly kept my composure and smiled, a thin, tight lipped smile that was getting painful to uphold. I didn't really have a very good feeling about this, especially since I had an idea of what Caitlin had wanted to talk about. I carefully wrapped an arm around my stomach and played with a loose thread that was hanging off of my sash, twining the string around and around through my fingers.

Caitlin paused momentarily as my eyebrows rose, but she plundered on after a few seconds of awkward silence. "Well, anyways, what I wanted to ask you, Ms. Munroe, is about Tawni Hart, who I understand is really a very good friend of yours. Maybe even your _best friend_. Some sources say that they've seen Tawni leave a pharmacy while carrying pregnancy tests, which makes me wonder…can she be expecting?"

My mouth went dry, and I felt Chad stiffen next to me. Obviously, I should have known that we couldn't keep my pregnancy a secret for an extended period of time. It was the paparazzi's _job_ to snoop around and find out stuff about me and all of my friends, and it made no sense pretending otherwise. The only thing that I could do now was formally come out and tell the world that I was pregnant.

"And that made me realize something," she was saying now, her hands waving around wildly as she got more excited. Her pencil and pad were lying forgotten on the table next to her, but she didn't seem to care one bit. Her eyes were sparkling with the excitement of getting a new story, and I knew that that was all that mattered to her. She didn't care that she could be spreading lies about my friends, and she didn't care that she was plastering someone's personal life all over magazine covers. She just wanted the story, the money and the recognition. "Isn't Tawni Hart's boyfriend Joe Jonas, who is famous for his purity ring? Now, either someone is cheating on their boyfriend, or someone else broke their promise."

I sat straight up in my chair, my fingers clenched so tightly around each other that I thought they would go numb. "Stop it!" I cried, raking my hair away from my face with a free hand. "Yes, Tawni was buying a pregnancy test, but she was buying it for me. Because I'm pregnant."

Chad reached over and wrapped one of my hands in his own, smiling at me reassuringly as Caitlin scribbled all of this down. She was biting her lip, but that didn't hide the hint of a smile that was tugging at her mouth. Her head was bent so intensely over the pad that the edges of her hair were brushing the paper, and every so often she would impatiently shove her tresses behind her ear.

"And now, I think that this interview is over," Chad said firmly, removing his leg from the chair in front of him and stiffly getting to his feet. I followed after him and waved fakely to Caitlin over my shoulder, my dark eyes clearly showing the extent of my anger. My first impression of the interviewer had been right all along, and I actually found myself wishing that Santiago had been the one conducting the interview.

Funny what comparisons can do to you, huh?

**

* * *

**

As soon as I walked into our house, I was hit by the overwhelming urge to eat ice cream. I tried to ignore it and go on with my life, changing out of my clothes and into my comfy pyjamas and even curling up on the couch with a blanket while the TV blared in front of me. But I couldn't shake the _need_ that I was feeling for ice cream, so strong to the point where it was almost painful.

"Chad?"

"Yeah?"

His reply came from the general direction of the kitchen, and I grinned to myself. He was so close to the freezer already that there was no way that he could refuse bringing me a bowl of ice cream. But then a little voice at the back of my mind felt bad, especially since Chad had a broken ankle, and had spent the better part of the day wobbling around. Then, a louder voice was telling me to ask him, and not to move, because the couch was so comfortable. I rolled my eyes at this and got to my feet, wrapping the blanket around me like a cape. It flared out behind me as I made my way to the kitchen, settling to drape against the backs of my legs as I stood in front of the freezer, completely still.

Just then, the telephone rang and I let out a sigh. So close, and yet so far. I closed the freezer and hurried to the living room. Before I clicked on the cordless phone, I succumbed to the louder voice in my head and called out over my shoulder, "Hey, Chad, can you _please_ take out a bowl of ice cream for me? Cookies 'n' Crème…and one of the big bowls? The bright blue one? Please?"

There was a pause, and then, in Chad's voice, "Whipped cream?"

I considered it for a second, the phone still trilling away in my hand. "Yes please…actually, drenching it would be fine. Thank you! Hello?" The last part of my conversation was directed into the handset, in my perky answer-the-phone voice.

"Sonny?"

"Barbie?" I squealed, almost dropping my blanket in surprise. "Barbie, is that you? What's up?"

Whenever _anyone _hears the name Barbie, they automatically think of a busty teenager with long legs and bleached blonde hair. My cousin, Barbara, was the exact opposite of the infamous doll. She was slight and very slim, with intense green eyes and pin straight red hair that was cut in a sleek bob. Although she was small, she had a loud mouth, and could often be heard singing from across the room. And whenever she found anything funny, her big belly laugh boomed out of her and got everyone within earshot laughing too. She had been one of my best friends back when I lived in Wisconsin, and even though I hadn't seen her in years, we still spoke over the phone and on the computer weekly.

My cousin laughed. "Yes Sonny, of course it's me. Who else would it be? Actually, I called because you never RSVP'd to my wedding invitation. At first, I thought that you were busy with your show and all, but time is ticking and we really need to know now for now if you're coming or not. Do you have any idea whether or not you'll be able to make it?"

I teetered back over to the couch, dragging the blanket behind me, and collapsed between the cushions, my legs pulled up and underneath me. Finally, after resting my elbow onto the armrest, I was able to process just exactly what Barbie was saying. "Wedding invitation? What wedding invitation?"

Chad entered the room at that exact moment, the bright blue bowl balanced in his hands. From my vantage point, all I could see was a swirl of whipped cream, perfectly shaped and proportioned. My mouth began to water at the mere sight of the sundae, and I reached out my free hand, my fingers trying to grasp the bowl. He chuckled and handed me my treat before settling down next to me on the couch.

I scooped a spoonful of the cool dessert into my mouth and sighed in bliss, almost missing Barbie's answer to my question. "Well, yeah, my wedding invitation. Didn't you get it in the mail, Sonny? Me and Chris are getting married! And the wedding is next week, so we sent out the invitations about two months ago."

I almost choked on my ice cream. "What? Are you serious? Well, we didn't get any invitations, so I guess that it got lost in the mail. But don't worry, we'll be there. We'll get a flight as soon as we can, and we'll be there. I wouldn't want to miss your wedding, Barbie. I'll see you soon then, ok?"

"Alright," she answered, her voice noticeably brighter. "And by the way, Sonny, when you say _we_, do you mean Aunt Connie and yourself, or do you mean you and someone else?" Her tone turned sly towards the end of her question and I smiled, my mouth full of ice cream.

"Actually, I mean myself and my fiancé, Chad Dylan Cooper," I said around a cookie chunk. Of course, Barbie had known that Chad and I were dating, and she even knew that we were engaged. But she had never heard me address him like that, and she had never met him. The couple times that Chad and I had gone to visit my family in Wisconsin, she and her boyfriend – well, fiancé – Chris had always been out, travelling the globe. "Is that ok?"

Barbie answered so quickly that I wasn't even sure if she had properly heard the question. "Of course! Anyways, I need to go now, because we have _another_ rehearsal today. Luckily, it's the last one before the dress rehearsal next week. _Unluckily, _we have a dress rehearsal next week," she said, laughing as she spoke. "So, I'll see you soon, and hopefully get to finally meet the infamous CDC. Bye Sonny, miss you!"

"Bye Barbie, see you next week," I answered, and then clicked off the phone. While shovelling another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth, I placed the phone on the table in front of me and sighed again, excitement and happiness both running through my veins. I couldn't believe that my cousin was getting married in only a week's time. She was one year older than me, but when we were younger and running around in the fields, that hadn't mattered at all.

I looked over at Chad, surprised that he hadn't asked what was going on yet. Usually, when I was on the phone, he would pester me and try to find out who I was talking to, even if it meant pushing his ear up close to the receiver. But today, he had just sat down next to me and stared off into space, his eyes taking on a glassy look.

"Chad? Are you ok?"

He shuddered and then shook his head sharply, as if he was trying to clear it. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. So, how come you're going to see Barbie next week? Is she coming to visit Hollywood? Am I finally going to get to meet your most favourite cousin ever?"

I playfully smacked him across the chest and pushed my empty bowl aside, causing the metal spoon to hit the plastic edges. "I don't talk like that. And hopefully, yes you will, because I – possibly we, if you want to come too– get to fly out to Wisconsin and attend my cousin's wedding! She's getting married next week, but my invitation got lost in the mail, so she had to call and tell me the news. All I have to do now is ask Marshall if I can get a few days off, find a dress and book a flight…_unless_, you'll let me use your private jet?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him, trying my very best to look cute.

He smiled at me and ruffled my hair so that my carefully crafted ponytail fell down. I scowled at him and tried to repair the damage while he said, "I'd love to lend it to you, but I can't. It's getting some work done, so it looks like we'll have to fly on a commercial plane."

I tightened my ponytail and nearly jumped on his lap. As it was, I flung my arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly, all of my joy translating into my embrace. "You're coming with me? Oh, now it'll be so much more fun! By the way, what were you thinking about just now, while I was on the phone? You looked a million miles away."

Chad ducked his head down and kissed my cheek, keeping his lips against my skin for a beat longer than necessary. I could feel the curve of his smile against my face, and I smiled in return, although it was a little puzzled. Just when I thought that he was going to dodge my question, he spoke softly, his face still pressed against my own. "You'll see."

* * *

Ever since the day that Barbie called me, I've been getting these weird, intense cravings for ice cream. I know that cravings themselves are a part of pregnancy, but I had never experienced just how strong these things were. It was like a constant nagging at the back of my mind, annoying me until I got what it was that the baby wanted.

Which was why, after an intense day of rehearsals and table reads, I was understandably upset when I found out that the commissary had run out of frozen yogurt. A thin piece of paper taped to the machine claimed that it was OUT OF ORDER, and my heart sank at the wrongness of it all. It wasn't enough that Caitlin had made the news of my pregnancy the cover story for every single magazine ever, but now I couldn't even get a heavenly spoonful of chocolate fro-yo? This whole situation just screamed unfair.

"What's wrong?" a voice in my ear asked, and I turned around to find Chad studying me with downturned lips. I could tell that he was unhappy that I was upset, so I tried to smile for his sake. Unfortunately, I failed, and my mouth stayed in its pout. "Sonny, come on. Tell me what's wrong."

I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. "The fro-yo machine isn't working, and I _need_ a cool, frozen dessert or else I feel like I'll explode. Of all of the days for this to happen, it had to happen on one of the most rigorous days of my career so far?" I knew that I was whining, but I couldn't help it. And I knew that if I didn't calm down soon, my eyes would fill with hot tears, but my mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. It just kept babbling until Chad very gently placed a hand across it, cutting me off.

"Well, why don't I take you out for ice cream then? My treat," he said, flashing me his trademark CDC smirk.

A grin spread across my face and I nodded my head, my ponytail bouncing with each bob. I silently followed him out to our car and slipped into the driver's seat, my hands already folded around the wheel. Chad gamely took the seat beside me, but I could tell from the flash in his eyes that he wasn't happy that he couldn't drive. But he didn't say anything about it, instead speaking only to tell me the directions to the ice cream shop.

It took me about twenty minutes to get there, and I passed many different ice cream parlours along the way. This, of course, made me wonder why Chad was taking such lengths to make sure that I went to a particular store. A store, which was, admittedly, very attractive. It looked quite old, but not in a rundown way. In fact, if I were to take any children's book and open it up to a page with an ice cream shop, I was pretty sure that the picture I would see would be identical to the store in front of me.

The outside was a bright pink; not too hard on the eyes, but not too washed out either. There was a solid white trim outlining the roof, and a wooden sign that read, ICE CREAM SHOPPE dangling over the front door. I parked the car and got out, looking up in awe at the structure in front of me. "This place is beautiful," I breathed out, taken aback by just how quaint a place this was.

Chad took my hand and led me inside. A little bell overhead jingled, announcing our arrival, and the two people in the shop turned around to see who had come in. I recognized one of them, and all of a sudden, I realized what this was.

"Hi Frank," I said, giving him a little half wave with my free hand. He returned the gesture and smiled at me, and I noticed that his Bible was there on the counter in front of him. For some reason, this fact seemed important to me, but I just couldn't figure out what it meant. "Chad, I thought that we were getting ice cream?"

The lady behind the counter chuckled, her smile softening the slight wrinkles in her face. She looked to be in her mid-sixties, with powder white hair and a small apron tied around her waist. She had a pencil tucked behind one ear and a pad of paper sticking out of the apron pocket. I found this strange, because she had to scoop out ice cream, not take lunch orders, but I kept my mouth shut. Everyone had their own style, and she seemed like a sweet person.

Chad grinned and looked down at me, his eyes sparkling. "We will, Sonny. But first, **I is for Ice Cream Shoppe**."

I grinned and gave him a kiss, not at all feeling self-conscious that we had an audience. He chuckled softly and returned the kiss, his lips dancing against my own. I sighed and wound my hands around his neck, my hands overlapping each other and playing the ends of his (much shorter) hair. We only broke apart when the woman behind the counter gave us a pointed sort of cough, and we sprang away from each other, both of our faces flaming red.

The woman smiled at us and crooked her finger at me. "Come on, sweetie, let's get you changed. And you, young man, can go with Frank here. He knows what he has to give you."

I blinked. "Changed? What am I changing into?"

She stepped closer to me, and from this distance, I could clearly see that her nametag read Ruth. Her light eyes were twinkling mischievously, and my stomach twisted in on itself. Something about that look in her eyes scared me a little bit. "Honey, we have a tradition here in this shop, that whenever newlyweds come in, they have to wear a special suit. And I know that you and your fella aren't newlyweds exactly – Frank explained this whole thing to me – but I still think that it'll be cute for you guys to wear the suits. So come on now, sweet pea, and let's get you out of this dress and into our special outfit. Trust me, it'll be completely different from anything that you've experienced before."

Sometime during her little speech, Ruth had gripped my wrist and pulled me into a room next to the freezer, where a knee length dress was draped over the back of a chair. It was divided in half, and each side was a different colour. The left side was a strawberry pink, and the right side was a yellowy kind of white, like vanilla ice cream. The white side was also covered in what felt like Velcro, only the soft kind.

"There we go, sweetie, why don't you take off your clothes and put this on? When you're finished, come on outside and you three can get this show on the road," Ruth said, stepping out the door. She shut it behind her and then I was alone.

I stripped out of my clothes and put on the dress, which fit a little snugly across my stomach. I examined myself in the mirror and was amazed to see a small bump protruding from my midsection. My baby bump, I realized, and my whole face broke out in a grin. Finally, my baby bump was visible. I let out an excited shriek as I finger combed my hair, and then rushed out of the room, trying to find Chad.

He was standing in the front with Frank, and Ruth was leaning against the counter, looking at the scene before her in interest. At the sound of my noisy entrance, Chad looked over at me, and I saw that he was wearing a suit very similar to my own. To his left was the yellowy white, but instead of the other side being pink, it was a light brown. This reminded me of something, but before I could place what it was, Chad's eyes widened, and I knew it was because he noticed the slight bump.

"Wow," he said softly, and I beamed.

"I know, isn't it great?"

He nodded his head and gave me another kiss, this one longer and more passionate. Not like we were trying to put on a show for Frank and Ruth or anything, but it was a little more heated than just a peck on the lips every now and again. We tried to break away from each other, but I found that I couldn't move. I looked down in confusion and saw that our two suits had gotten a hold of each other and refused to let go. With a start, I realized that it was the Velcro holding us together and I started to laugh at the same moment that Ruth clapped.

"Neapolitan, see?" she said happily. "Isn't that cute?"

Even Frank was laughing, but he quieted down quickly when he caught the look on Chad's face. Not that he hated being attached to me, but he wasn't exactly a big fan of being called cute. Anything else, he had told me once, was preferable to being called cute. It was a guy thing.

"Right," Frank said, clearing his throat and opening his Bible. He began the ceremony, but my mind kept wandering over to my _severe_ need for ice cream. It was only when he got to my favourite part that my attention snapped to, and my grin was almost blinding. "Do you, Sonny Munroe, take Chad Dylan Cooper to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"And do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Chad leaned down at the same moment that I tilted my head back, and our lips let in the middle. A burst of mental fireworks exploded behind my eyelids, but before I could deepen the kiss, my nose was assaulted by the cold, icy scent of ice cream. I broke away and ran over to the counter, my hands gripping the edge very tightly.

"Banana split, please. Biggest size that you have," I asked Ruth.

She chuckled again and went to work making my order, scooping out the vanilla ice cream with the skilled hand of a professional. I felt a hand on my waist and twisted my head back to see Chad leaning on the counter next to me, one arm wrapped around my middle. Ruth finished making my split and put it in front of me as Chad spoke softly in my ear.

"Ditched for ice cream? I'm going to have to remember that, Munroe."

I smiled guiltily up at him, my mouth already full of the delectable dish. Then, without warning, I got up on my tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss against his mouth. And really…it was almost as delicious as the ice cream.

* * *

**I just wanted to let you guys know that I have this story planned all the way up to the letter N. Which means, of course, than any suggestions that you may wanna send in and share (please!) would have to be from the letter O and downwards. It'll be so greatly appreciated!**

**And now, I have a question for you guys. Do any of you read the Night World series? It's like, my favourite thing right now, even though I've known of it for a while. But a few weeks ago, I just got like, completely obsessed with it lol. Anyways, if any of you have read the books, who's your favourite soulmates? And your favourite book? And your favourite character? I want to know everything haha, because I am 100% in love with those stories! And I can't wait for the conclusion!**

**And since I asked you, I'll give you my answers. My favourite soulmates...I dunno. I love them all, I can't decide! My favourite book is either Witchlight, Daughters of Darkness, Huntress or Secret Vampire, and my fave character is either Ash or Galen. Oooh, or Morgead. Because they're all so hot :)  
**

**Answer the question, give suggestions, tell me anything! All in a review haha :)**


	12. AN and Sneak Peek

Oh my gosh, guys, please don't hate me!

So, I've gotten quite a few messages from some of you, all asking me when I'm going to update, and if I could please update, and asking me why I'm not updating. **I'm sorry! **And I know that you probably all hate me right now, because you must have seen this story and gotten your hopes up, so I apologize for that too!

I've been getting a whole boatload of homework lately, and it's seriously been hindering my creative process. I haven't had the time to sit down and write this story, and although I do know where it is headed, I just haven't put anything to paper yet. I honestly have like, the next 7 chapters all planned and ready to go, but I haven't yet gotten the chance to update them.

Also, I'm not sure if you guys are aware of this, but I've started a new story, although it's not for SWAC. And I've also been planning for that one, and I got really excited and into it, and it's been taking up a lot of my time too. Unfortunately, it's kind of taken precedence over this one, but I'm working on balancing it out. And I absolutely, positively, am PROMISING you that by the end of maybe the next two weeks or so, I will have an update for this story posted.

Again, I'm really sorry!

And to (try) and at least make 1% up to you, I'll post a little sneak peak of what's to come. Please don't hate me, though….life's been crazy lately.

* * *

**J is for Jellybean Factory**

I smiled at him and continued towards the kiosk, which was still empty. As soon as Stef had seen us talking away from everyone else, she had closed her stall, keeping her eyes on us. And the minute that she saw us move away from the wall, she flipped the sign again and waved us over, a smile stretching across her face. She looked pretty much the same since the last time that I saw her, except that her chestnut coloured hair was cut shorter, framing her face.

"Hello," she said sweetly, smiling flirtatiously at Chad.

"Whoa, déjà vu," I muttered darkly, and Chad bit back a smile as he handed Stef our passports.

She tilted her head to the side and regarded me through narrowed eyes, but I knew that she didn't understand what I had just said. Instead of pursuing it, though, she turned back to Chad and triple batted her eyelashes as she stamped his passport. She then punched the stamp down on my page a little harder than necessary and smiled snidely at me.

"Thanks," I said, taking the passports from her outstretched hands. I was trying to be the bigger person here, and not let it show that her obvious flirting with my fiancé was getting to me. So, fighting the urge to claw out her eyes, I smiled and drummed my fingers on the counter instead.

Stef didn't even answer me. She looked at me for a fleeting second and then asked Chad, "So, what are you going to Wisconsin for anyways?"

He put the two passports back in his pocket. "Wedding," he answered shortly, applying the barest hint of pressure to my fingers. I looked up at him and smiled, a gesture which did not go unnoticed by the attendant in front of us. Her eyes widened dramatically, and I had to suppress my intense desire to roll my eyes.

"Is it _your_ wedding?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch with each word. She brought one delicate hand up to her chest and watched us with wide eyes. Anyone could tell that she was distraught, and I caught even some of the people in the line next to us looking over at the scene with interest. "You guys are getting married in Wisconsin?"

I almost told her that it was our wedding, just to shut her up. But underneath the surprise, I could see anger shining in her eyes, and I knew that it wouldn't be the best idea to provoke Stef. Aside from the fact that she thought that she had a chance with my fiancé, there was something that I didn't like about this girl. It was very similar to the vibe that I had gotten from Caitlin; I didn't really trust her.

"My cousin," I said, just as Chad began pulling me away. "It's my cousin's wedding that we're going to."

Catching sight of Stef's smug and relieved smile, I rolled my eyes. Some things never change.

* * *

So, I know it's not much, but I hope that it makes up for my absence at least a little bit. I doubt that it does, but remember, 2 weeks, an update, even if it kills me!

-mspink93

**I know, the 2 weeks have past and yet still...nothing. That's because I came up with a super awesome idea! If you guys please give me 3 more weeks...just 3!, then I'll have a surprise for you when I update. It'll be worth it, I hope. Please though...please just bear with me. My life's been crazy lately.**


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